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Comet

Skiff

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C/2007 B2 (Skiff)

Skiff is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.97 AU to 1,470.93 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 20,006.3 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 April 2021.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
35.917 AU
True anomaly
146.94°
Distance from Earth
35.011 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 Skiff — 35.917 AU from the Sun Skiff
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Skiff is 35.011 AU from Earth today (4.9 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
00h 34m 24s
Declination
+00° 04′ 38″
Constellation
Cetus
Distance from Earth
35.01 AU
Elongation from the Sun
155.14° — 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
736.951 AU
Eccentricity
0.996
Inclination
27.5°
Orbital period
20,006.3 years
Perihelion
2.975 AU
Aphelion
1,470.927 AU
Longitude of ascending node
14.87°
Argument of periapsis
206°
Epoch · J2000
2454533.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 776.4 LD
1.995 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
1.902

Orbit quality

Observations used
1,527
Data arc
3.46 years
First observed
23 January 2007
Last observed
10 July 2010
Residual RMS
0.52 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
9.2
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 7.3
9.2

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2007 B2

Named

Sources