60P/Tsuchinshan
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Today29 Mar 202422.53.893 AU4.860 AU23h41m+01°08'12.7°3.2°259°
Nearest approach1 Nov 202418.22.794 AU1.855 AU00h51m+10°44'156.5°8.1°78°
Perihelion20 Jul 202515.61.645 AU2.657 AU08h15m+18°26'4.2°2.6°121°
60P/Tsuchinshan- 2024-03-29
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 60P/Tsuchinshan are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.5336800
            q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.6448650
            i (Inclination)                 : 3.58120
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 267.43810
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 216.95000
            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 304.33431
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -2.15183
            T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460877.26330
            P (Orbital period in years)     : 6.62

            Epoch                           : 2024 Mar 28
            Reference                       : MPEC 2021-F20

            Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
            Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.865
        

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 (11.50 + 5 log[∆] + 15.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 10.19 + 5 log[∆] + 15.00 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
2024-03-29 00:00 UT   23 41 34.4   +01 07 12     4.862    3.894   12.6    3.2   260   22.5 
2024-03-29 05:52 UT   23 41 49.7   +01 08 53     4.860    3.893   12.7    3.2   259   22.5 
2024-03-30 00:00 UT   23 42 36.9   +01 14 04     4.855    3.889   13.3    3.4   259   22.5 
2024-03-31 00:00 UT   23 43 39.5   +01 20 56     4.847    3.885   13.9    3.6   258   22.5 
2024-04-01 00:00 UT   23 44 42.0   +01 27 49     4.839    3.881   14.6    3.7   258   22.5 
2024-04-02 00:00 UT   23 45 44.6   +01 34 43     4.831    3.876   15.3    3.9   257   22.4 
2024-04-03 00:00 UT   23 46 47.2   +01 41 37     4.823    3.872   16.0    4.1   257   22.4 
2024-04-04 00:00 UT   23 47 49.8   +01 48 32     4.815    3.867   16.7    4.3   256   22.4 
2024-04-05 00:00 UT   23 48 52.3   +01 55 27     4.806    3.863   17.4    4.4   256   22.4 
2024-04-06 00:00 UT   23 49 54.9   +02 02 23     4.798    3.859   18.1    4.6   255   22.4 
2024-04-07 00:00 UT   23 50 57.5   +02 09 19     4.789    3.854   18.8    4.8   255   22.4 
2024-04-08 00:00 UT   23 52 00.0   +02 16 15     4.780    3.850   19.5    5.0   255   22.4 


    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.