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Rankin

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P/2020 V4 (Rankin)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
9.497 AU
True anomaly
118.55°
Distance from Earth
10.482 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 Rankin — 9.497 AU from the Sun Rankin
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Rankin is 10.482 AU from Earth today (1.5 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
14h 26m 47s
Declination
-10° 54′ 36″
Constellation
Libra
Distance from Earth
10.48 AU
Elongation from the Sun
7.25° — too close to the Sun to observe

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
9.342 AU
Eccentricity
0.4489
Inclination
14.24°
Orbital period
28.55 years
Perihelion
5.149 AU
Aphelion
13.535 AU
Longitude of ascending node
203.51°
Argument of periapsis
257°
Epoch · J2000
2459410.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 1,634.4 LD
4.1997 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.878

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 2).

Observations used
619
Data arc
8.44 years
First observed
10 October 2015
Last observed
17 March 2024
Residual RMS
0.52 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
9 September 2025

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
6.9
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 12.3
6.9

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2020 V4

Named

Sources