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Comet

Hogan

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C/2023 X4 (Hogan)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
6.67 AU
True anomaly
99.63°
Distance from Earth
7.624 AU
As of
24 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 Hogan — 6.67 AU from the Sun Hogan
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Hogan is 7.624 AU from Earth today (1.1 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
14h 51m 30s
Declination
-20° 04′ 32″
Constellation
Libra
Distance from Earth
7.63 AU
Elongation from the Sun
15.18° — too close to the Sun to observe

Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.

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
9.912 AU
Eccentricity
0.6309
Inclination
11.59°
Orbital period
31.2 years
Perihelion
3.658 AU
Aphelion
16.165 AU
Longitude of ascending node
28.77°
Argument of periapsis
100.55°
Epoch · J2000
2460484.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 1,051.0 LD
2.7007 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.623

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
105
Data arc
589 days
First observed
20 September 2023
Last observed
1 May 2025
Residual RMS
0.32 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
22 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
13.1
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 8.3
13.1

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2023 X4

Named

Sources