Comet 48P/Johnson
Comet 48P/Johnson is in the constellation of
Cetus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 48P/Johnson is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 48P/Johnson?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 48P/Johnson is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South direction at an altitude of 30.79° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson 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 48P/Johnson to Earth happens on Wed Aug 30 2084 at a distance of 0.948246 Astronomical Units, or 141,855,632 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 48P/Johnson, 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 48P/Johnson at epoch 27 April 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457506.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.42896823 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.28312892° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.00648117 AU 300,165,312 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.02108286 AU 751,143,306 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.51378202 AU 525,654,309 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5867 years 2,405.8063 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Aug-08 17:18:38 2,458,339.2213 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Mar-10 12:39 2,460,745.0275 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 214.69091189519° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 111.46042145319° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 235.3932655849° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.14963798°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 48P/Johnson in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 48P/Johnson 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 06 | 23h 42m 46s | -09° 03’ 36” | 16.41 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 23h 45m 02s | -08° 52’ 12” | 16.41 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 23h 47m 17s | -08° 40’ 47” | 16.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 23h 49m 31s | -08° 29’ 24” | 16.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 23h 51m 45s | -08° 18’ 01” | 16.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 23h 54m 00s | -08° 06’ 39” | 16.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 23h 56m 14s | -07° 55’ 18” | 16.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 23h 58m 27s | -07° 43’ 57” | 16.43 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 00h 00m 41s | -07° 32’ 38” | 16.43 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 00h 02m 54s | -07° 21’ 21” | 16.43 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 00h 05m 07s | -07° 10’ 05” | 16.43 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 00h 07m 19s | -06° 58’ 50” | 16.44 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 00h 09m 31s | -06° 47’ 36” | 16.44 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 19 | 00h 11m 43s | -06° 36’ 24” | 16.44 | Cetus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 48P/Johnson?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 48P/Johnson from Earth?)
- When does Comet 48P/Johnson rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 48P/Johnson?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 48P/Johnson orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 48P/Johnson with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 48P/Johnson for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 48P/Johnson in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 48P/Johnson with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.