Comet 4P/Faye
Comet 4P/Faye is a short-period comet that orbits the Sun once every 7.34 years. It was discovered by Hervé Faye on November 23, 1843. The perihelion distance of the comet is about 1.61 AU, while its aphelion distance is approximately 6.03 AU. The orbital period is 7.48 Earth years.
Comet 4P/Faye is in the constellation of
Libra,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 4P/Faye is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 4P/Faye?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 4P/Faye 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 4P/Faye from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 4P/Faye is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 11.67° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 4P/Faye 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 4P/Faye from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 4P/Faye 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 4P/Faye 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 4P/Faye to Earth happens on Thu Nov 2 2073 at a distance of 0.615202 Astronomical Units, or 92,032,948 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 4P/Faye, 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 4P/Faye at epoch 07 February 2019 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458522.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.58448252 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 8.15995332° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.57803852 AU 236,071,203 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6.01749514 AU 900,204,462 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.79776683 AU 568,137,832 km |
| Orbital period | period |
7.4012 years 2,703.2790 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2021-Sep-05 16:35:53 2,459,463.1916 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2029-Jan-29 23:17 2,462,166.4706 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 205.99251726988° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 194.80005343692° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 234.72659234118° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.13317160°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 4P/Faye in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 4P/Faye 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 | 14h 41m 28s | -11° 37’ 07” | 21.96 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 06 | 14h 41m 01s | -11° 34’ 13” | 21.95 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 14h 40m 33s | -11° 31’ 16” | 21.95 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 14h 40m 04s | -11° 28’ 18” | 21.95 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 14h 39m 36s | -11° 25’ 20” | 21.95 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 14h 39m 06s | -11° 22’ 19” | 21.94 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 14h 38m 37s | -11° 19’ 18” | 21.94 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 14h 38m 07s | -11° 16’ 16” | 21.94 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 14h 37m 37s | -11° 13’ 12” | 21.94 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 14h 37m 06s | -11° 10’ 08” | 21.94 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 14h 36m 35s | -11° 07’ 03” | 21.93 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 14h 36m 04s | -11° 03’ 58” | 21.93 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 14h 35m 33s | -11° 00’ 51” | 21.93 | Libra |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 14h 35m 02s | -10° 57’ 44” | 21.93 | Libra |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 4P/Faye?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 4P/Faye from Earth?)
- When does Comet 4P/Faye rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 4P/Faye?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 4P/Faye orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 4P/Faye with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 4P/Faye for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 4P/Faye in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 4P/Faye with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.