Comet 6P/d'Arrest
Comet 6P/d'Arrest was discovered by Heinrich Louis d'Arrest on June 28, 1851. It has an orbital period of approximately 6.5 years and its perihelion distance is about 1.4 astronomical units (AU), while its aphelion distance is around 5.6 AU.
Comet 6P/d'Arrest is in the constellation of
Cancer,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 6P/d'Arrest is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 6P/d'Arrest?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 6P/d'Arrest 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 6P/d'Arrest from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 6P/d'Arrest is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 49.32° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 6P/d'Arrest 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 6P/d'Arrest from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 6P/d'Arrest 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 6P/d'Arrest 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 6P/d'Arrest to Earth happens on Wed Aug 7 2047 at a distance of 0.336992 Astronomical Units, or 50,413,268 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 6P/d'Arrest, 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 6P/d'Arrest at epoch 28 March 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459302.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.61267012 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.51243095° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.35458525 AU 202,643,070 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.63989328 AU 843,716,027 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.49723927 AU 523,179,549 km |
| Orbital period | period |
6.5403 years 2,388.8366 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2021-Sep-17 18:56:35 2,459,475.2893 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2028-Apr-02 15:01 2,461,864.1259 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 178.10645985005° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 138.93710032586° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 333.96048528036° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.15070097°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 6P/d'Arrest in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 6P/d'Arrest 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 | 09h 02m 10s | +17° 56’ 50” | 25.79 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 06 | 09h 02m 01s | +17° 58’ 23” | 25.80 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 07 | 09h 01m 52s | +17° 59’ 53” | 25.80 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 08 | 09h 01m 44s | +18° 01’ 19” | 25.81 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 09 | 09h 01m 37s | +18° 02’ 42” | 25.82 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 10 | 09h 01m 30s | +18° 04’ 00” | 25.82 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 09h 01m 24s | +18° 05’ 15” | 25.83 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 09h 01m 19s | +18° 06’ 27” | 25.83 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 09h 01m 15s | +18° 07’ 35” | 25.84 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 09h 01m 12s | +18° 08’ 40” | 25.84 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 09h 01m 09s | +18° 09’ 41” | 25.85 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 09h 01m 07s | +18° 10’ 39” | 25.86 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 09h 01m 06s | +18° 11’ 33” | 25.86 | Cancer |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 09h 01m 05s | +18° 12’ 23” | 25.87 | Cancer |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 6P/d'Arrest?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 6P/d'Arrest from Earth?)
- When does Comet 6P/d'Arrest rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 6P/d'Arrest?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 6P/d'Arrest orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 6P/d'Arrest with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 6P/d'Arrest for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 6P/d'Arrest in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 6P/d'Arrest with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.