Periodic comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova passed close by the Earth on February 11, 2017. On this day, it moved to within 12.6 million kilometres or 7.8 million miles of our planet, which in astronomical terms was just a stone's throw away. At closest approach, the comet shone at mag. +6.5 and was visible with binoculars. However, soon it will dramatically fade as it heads towards the outer Solar System. As a result, the third week of February offers the last real good chance to catch a glimpse, until it returns in 5 years time.
Comet 45P is now well placed from northern latitudes. On February 14th, it was located in Boötes about 14 degrees northeast of first magnitude Arcturus. Moving westwards, 45P crossed into Canes Venatici on February 15th where it remains until February 20th. It then spends a day in Coma Berenices before moving into Ursa Major. On February 25th, the comet passes into Leo where it stays for the rest of the month.
On February 14th, 45p was still relatively bright at magnitude +7.2. It's now fading and by the month's end could be down to 12th magnitude. However, until about February 22nd, it should remain bright enough to be seen with small scopes and even binoculars. In addition, it's superbly placed from northern latitudes. The comet rises in the east during early evening, before reaching a high point in the sky during morning hours. It's not so well placed from southern locations, appearing lower down and rising much later on.
The charts below show the positions of the comet between February 12th and 22nd.
45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova data (at epoch January 7, 2017)
| Name | 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova |
|---|---|
| Type | Comet |
| Discoverer | Minoru Honda |
| Discovery date | December 3, 1948 |
| Perihelion | 0.5296 |
| Aphelion | 5.511 |
| Semi-major axis (AU) | 3.0205 |
| Eccentricity | 0.8246 |
| Orbital period | 5.25 |
| Inclination (degrees) | 4.257 |
| Perihelion | December 31, 2016 |
45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova Data Table
| Date | Right Ascension | Declination | Mag. | Distance from Earth (AU) | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Feb-2017 | 20h 12m 36s | -04d 01m 01s | 7.9 | 0.162 | Aquila |
| 02-Feb-2017 | 20h 03m 27s | -02d 31m 24s | 7.8 | 0.150 | Aquila |
| 03-Feb-2017 | 19h 52m 53s | -00d 47m 52s | 7.7 | 0.139 | Aquila |
| 04-Feb-2017 | 19h 40m 37s | 01d 12m 15s | 7.5 | 0.128 | Aquila |
| 05-Feb-2017 | 19h 26m 17s | 03d 31m 49s | 7.4 | 0.118 | Aquila |
| 06-Feb-2017 | 19h 09m 27s | 06d 13m 31s | 7.3 | 0.109 | Aquila |
| 07-Feb-2017 | 18h 49m 37s | 09d 19m 08s | 7.1 | 0.101 | Aquila |
| 08-Feb-2017 | 18h 26m 16s | 12d 48m 06s | 6.9 | 0.094 | Hercules |
| 09-Feb-2017 | 17h 58m 58s | 16d 35m 36s | 6.7 | 0.089 | Hercules |
| 10-Feb-2017 | 17h 27m 34s | 20d 30m 41s | 6.5 | 0.085 | Hercules |
| 11-Feb-2017 | 16h 52m 27s | 24d 16m 15s | 6.5 | 0.083 | Hercules |
| 12-Feb-2017 | 16h 14m 43s | 27d 32m 44s | 6.7 | 0.084 | Corona Borealis |
| 13-Feb-2017 | 15h 36m 12s | 30d 04m 43s | 6.9 | 0.086 | Corona Borealis |
| 14-Feb-2017 | 14h 58m 55s | 31d 46m 26s | 7.2 | 0.090 | Boötes |
| 15-Feb-2017 | 14h 24m 33s | 32d 41m 58s | 7.5 | 0.096 | Boötes |
| 16-Feb-2017 | 13h 54m 04s | 33d 01m 15s | 7.8 | 0.103 | Canes Venatici |
| 17-Feb-2017 | 13h 27m 42s | 32d 55m 21s | 8.1 | 0.112 | Canes Venatici |
| 18-Feb-2017 | 13h 05m 11s | 32d 33m 38s | 8.4 | 0.121 | Canes Venatici |
| 19-Feb-2017 | 12h 46m 05s | 32d 02m 57s | 8.7 | 0.131 | Canes Venatici |
| 20-Feb-2017 | 12h 29m 52s | 31d 27m 51s | 9.0 | 0.141 | Canes Venatici |
| 21-Feb-2017 | 12h 16m 03s | 30d 51m 10s | 9.3 | 0.152 | Coma Berenices |
| 22-Feb-2017 | 12h 04m 12s | 30d 14m 36s | 9.6 | 0.164 | Ursa Major |
| 23-Feb-2017 | 11h 53m 59s | 29d 39m 07s | 9.9 | 0.176 | Ursa Major |
| 24-Feb-2017 | 11h 45m 07s | 29d 05m 10s | 10.4 | 0.188 | Ursa Major |
| 25-Feb-2017 | 11h 37m 22s | 28d 32m 58s | 10.8 | 0.200 | Ursa Major |
| 26-Feb-2017 | 11h 30m 33s | 28d 02m 36s | 11.2 | 0.213 | Leo |
| 27-Feb-2017 | 11h 24m 32s | 27d 33m 59s | 11.7 | 0.226 | Leo |
| 28-Feb-2017 | 11h 19m 11s | 27d 07m 02s | 12.3 | 0.239 | Leo |
See also
How to see comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova in the February morning sky. Will pass close by Earth on the 11th.
Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova now visible with small telescopes