Comet 40P/Vaisala
Comet 40P/Vaisala is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 40P/Vaisala is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 40P/Vaisala?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 40P/Vaisala in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 40P/Vaisala from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 40P/Vaisala is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the West direction at an altitude of 15.43° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 40P/Vaisala is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 40P/Vaisala from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 40P/Vaisala from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 40P/Vaisala from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet 40P/Vaisala to Earth happens on Mon Mar 24 2070 at a distance of 0.879464 Astronomical Units, or 131,565,973 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 40P/Vaisala, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 40P/Vaisala at epoch 08 February 2003 00:00 UTC (JD: 2452679.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.63293806 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.53901793° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.79533024 AU 268,577,582 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
7.98683486 AU 1,194,813,491 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
4.89108255 AU 731,695,536 km |
| Orbital period | period |
10.8172 years 3,950.9899 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2004-Jan-22 23:51:12 2,453,027.4939 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2014-Nov-16 23:36 2,456,978.4838 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 47.239001951896° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 134.73589970998° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 328.2920465776° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.09111641°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 40P/Vaisala in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 40P/Vaisala computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Apr 05 | 05h 16m 40s | +17° 38’ 11” | 19.98 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 06 | 05h 17m 51s | +17° 42’ 57” | 19.97 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 05h 19m 03s | +17° 47’ 40” | 19.96 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 05h 20m 17s | +17° 52’ 20” | 19.96 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 05h 21m 31s | +17° 57’ 00” | 19.95 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 05h 22m 46s | +18° 01’ 35” | 19.94 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 05h 24m 02s | +18° 06’ 08” | 19.93 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 05h 25m 19s | +18° 10’ 38” | 19.92 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 05h 26m 37s | +18° 15’ 07” | 19.91 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 05h 27m 56s | +18° 19’ 32” | 19.90 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 05h 29m 15s | +18° 23’ 54” | 19.89 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 05h 30m 36s | +18° 28’ 13” | 19.88 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 05h 31m 57s | +18° 32’ 29” | 19.87 | Taurus |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 05h 33m 20s | +18° 36’ 42” | 19.86 | Taurus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 40P/Vaisala?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 40P/Vaisala from Earth?)
- When does Comet 40P/Vaisala rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 40P/Vaisala?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 40P/Vaisala orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 40P/Vaisala with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 40P/Vaisala for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 40P/Vaisala in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 40P/Vaisala with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.