107P/Wilson-Harrington
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	9 May 2025	24.7	4.051 AU	3.236 AU	12h23m	-06°04'	138.9°	9.4°	110°
Perihelion	25 Nov 2026	16.0	0.969 AU	0.989 AU	20h12m	-17°07'	58.7°	60.5°	76°
Nearest approach	21 Dec 2026	16.1	1.032 AU	0.920 AU	22h22m	-07°29'	65.6°	60.2°	68°

The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)

The orbital elements of 107P/Wilson-Harrington are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.6309880
            q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.9690200
            i (Inclination)                 : 2.79860
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 266.72840
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 95.51790
            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 182.25285
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 2.78562
            T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461370.07850
            P (Orbital period in years)     : 4.26

            Epoch                           : 2025 May 08
            Reference                       : MPEC 2015-M77

            Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Encke type; Active asteroid
            Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 3.082
        

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC. The gray curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from the original MPEC, or the latest values provided by the MPC (18.50 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 16.12 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]).

The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.

The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.

The following chart shows the current location of the comet in a smaller, upside-down telescopic field of view.

A printable version of the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.

Ephemerides:

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-05-09 00:00 UT   12 23 20.0   -06 06 25     3.232    4.052  139.4    9.3   109   24.7 
2025-05-09 10:36 UT   12 23 06.4   -06 04 37     3.236    4.051  138.9    9.4   110   24.7 
2025-05-10 00:00 UT   12 22 49.4   -06 02 23     3.240    4.050  138.3    9.6   110   24.8 
2025-05-11 00:00 UT   12 22 19.7   -05 58 26     3.248    4.048  137.2    9.8   110   24.8 
2025-05-12 00:00 UT   12 21 50.9   -05 54 34     3.257    4.046  136.1   10.0   110   24.8 
2025-05-13 00:00 UT   12 21 23.1   -05 50 47     3.265    4.043  135.0   10.2   110   24.8 
2025-05-14 00:00 UT   12 20 56.2   -05 47 07     3.274    4.041  133.9   10.4   110   24.8 
2025-05-15 00:00 UT   12 20 30.2   -05 43 31     3.283    4.039  132.8   10.6   110   24.8 
2025-05-16 00:00 UT   12 20 05.3   -05 40 01     3.292    4.036  131.7   10.8   111   24.8 
2025-05-17 00:00 UT   12 19 41.3   -05 36 37     3.302    4.034  130.7   11.0   111   24.8 
2025-05-18 00:00 UT   12 19 18.3   -05 33 19     3.311    4.032  129.6   11.1   111   24.8 
2025-05-19 00:00 UT   12 18 56.2   -05 30 07     3.321    4.030  128.5   11.3   111   24.8 

    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between comet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km      
    

Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.