261P/Larson
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Today28 Mar 202426.34.182 AU3.385 AU15h00m-24°25'138.1°9.2°294°
Nearest approach6 Aug 202516.62.291 AU1.302 AU19h55m-18°12'163.1°7.4°87°
Perihelion27 Dec 202516.22.014 AU2.347 AU22h15m-05°41'58.4°24.6°66°
261P/Larson- 2024-03-28
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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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 261P/Larson are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.4230800
            q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.0136630
            i (Inclination)                 : 6.07210
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 291.06580
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 67.34290
            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 358.29388
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 5.60193
            T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461036.72330
            P (Orbital period in years)     : 6.52

            Epoch                           : 2024 Mar 27
            Reference                       : MPEC 2021-J28

            Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
            Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.967
        

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 (14.00 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.48 + 5 log[∆] + 29.30 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
2024-03-28 00:00 UT   15 00 19.5   -24 26 14     3.395    4.184  137.4    9.3   294   26.3 
2024-03-28 17:03 UT   15 00 02.3   -24 25 55     3.385    4.182  138.1    9.2   294   26.3 
2024-03-29 00:00 UT   14 59 55.1   -24 25 47     3.382    4.181  138.4    9.1   295   26.3 
2024-03-30 00:00 UT   14 59 29.8   -24 25 15     3.368    4.178  139.5    8.9   295   26.3 
2024-03-31 00:00 UT   14 59 03.5   -24 24 37     3.356    4.175  140.5    8.7   295   26.3 
2024-04-01 00:00 UT   14 58 36.2   -24 23 53     3.343    4.172  141.6    8.6   296   26.3 
2024-04-02 00:00 UT   14 58 08.0   -24 23 04     3.330    4.170  142.7    8.4   296   26.3 
2024-04-03 00:00 UT   14 57 38.9   -24 22 10     3.318    4.167  143.8    8.2   297   26.2 
2024-04-04 00:00 UT   14 57 08.9   -24 21 10     3.306    4.164  144.8    8.0   297   26.2 
2024-04-05 00:00 UT   14 56 37.9   -24 20 04     3.295    4.161  145.9    7.7   297   26.2 
2024-04-06 00:00 UT   14 56 06.1   -24 18 53     3.283    4.158  147.0    7.5   298   26.2 
2024-04-07 00:00 UT   14 55 33.4   -24 17 36     3.272    4.155  148.0    7.3   299   26.2 


    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.