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Comet Near-Earth

Helfenzrieder

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D/1766 G1 (Helfenzrieder)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
2.823 AU
True anomaly
209.97°
Distance from Earth
2.933 AU
As of
11 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.

Orbit of Mercury Orbit of Venus Orbit of Mars Sun Earth — 0.998 AU from the Sun Earth Helfenzrieder — 2.823 AU from the Sun Helfenzrieder
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Helfenzrieder is 2.933 AU from Earth today (24.4 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
08h 32m 07s
Declination
+22° 36′ 40″
Constellation
Cancer
Distance from Earth
2.92 AU
Elongation from the Sun
74.29° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the northern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far south.

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
2.665 AU
Eccentricity
0.8476
Inclination
7.87°
Orbital period
4.35 years
Perihelion
0.406 AU
Aphelion
4.923 AU
Longitude of ascending node
76.26°
Argument of periapsis
178.7°
Epoch · J2000
2366200.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.705

Orbit quality

Observations used
22
Data arc
24 days
First observed
9 April 1766
Last observed
3 May 1766

Discovery & classification

Also known as 1766 G1

Near-Earth Object Named

Sources