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Comet

Wolf

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C/1916 G1 (Wolf)

Wolf is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 1.69 AU to 5,832.02 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 157,536.3 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 April 2021.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
126.32 AU
True anomaly
166.87°
Distance from Earth
126.188 AU
As of
25 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Sun Earth — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth Wolf — 126.32 AU from the Sun Wolf
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Wolf is 126.188 AU from Earth today (17.5 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
07h 27m 51s
Declination
-02° 48′ 34″
Constellation
Monoceros
Distance from Earth
126.18 AU
Elongation from the Sun
97.83° — well clear of the Sun

Visible from both hemispheres.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
2,916.855 AU
Eccentricity
0.9994
Inclination
25.66°
Orbital period
157,536.3 years
Perihelion
1.686 AU
Aphelion
5,832.024 AU
Longitude of ascending node
184.46°
Argument of periapsis
120.62°
Epoch · J2000
2421379.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 315.7 LD
0.8113 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
1.453

Orbit quality

Observations used
69
Data arc
583 days
First observed
30 April 1916
Last observed
4 December 1917
Residual RMS
0.83 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
5.9
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 15.8
5.9

Discovery & classification

Also known as 1916 G1

Named

Sources