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Comet

Terasako

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C/1987 B2 (Terasako)

Terasako is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.39 AU to 164 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 745.2 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 April 2021.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
59.751 AU
True anomaly
172.58°
Distance from Earth
59.457 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 Terasako — 59.751 AU from the Sun Terasako
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Terasako is 59.457 AU from Earth today (8.2 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
07h 05m 46s
Declination
+27° 45′ 46″
Constellation
Gemini
Distance from Earth
59.45 AU
Elongation from the Sun
107.36° — 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
82.194 AU
Eccentricity
0.9952
Inclination
40.86°
Orbital period
745.2 years
Perihelion
0.393 AU
Aphelion
163.995 AU
Longitude of ascending node
97.7°
Argument of periapsis
195.27°
Epoch · J2000
2446833.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 232.2 LD
0.5968 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.65

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 7).

Observations used
49
Data arc
39 days
First observed
26 January 1987
Last observed
6 March 1987
Residual RMS
0.93 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Discovery & classification

Also known as 1987 B2

Named

Sources