Comet 5D/Brorsen, also known as Comet Brorsen, was a periodic comet belonging to the Jupiter family of comets, which is now considered a lost comet. It was first discovered by the Danish astronomer Theodor Brorsen on February 26, 1846. Based on the collected observations, the comet had an orbital period of 5.46 years and traveled around the Sun in an eccentric orbit with the closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) at a distance of about 0.58 astronomical units (AU), and the farthest distance (aphelion) at around 5.6 AU. The latest successful observations of Comet 5D/Brorsen were conducted during the 1879 apparition, while it was not possible to find the comet again during any of the subsequent apparitions.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost)
Comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) is in the constellation of Sagittarius, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) to Earth will happen on Tuesday 26 October 2083 at a distance of 0.259836 Astronomical Units, or 38,870,982 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost), i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) at epoch UTC (JD: 2407440.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.80979600 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 29.38210000° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.58984700 AU 88,239,855 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
5.61240952 AU 839,604,516 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.10112826 AU 463,922,186 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.4612 years 1,994.7020 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | March 31, 1879 2,407,439.5341 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | September 14, 1884 2,409,434.2361 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 14.9468° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 102.9676° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.17432378482129° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.18047809°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10 2025 | 19h 33m 37s | -28° 04’ 53” | 19.18 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 11 2025 | 19h 32m 51s | -28° 07’ 14” | 19.18 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 12 2025 | 19h 32m 05s | -28° 09’ 31” | 19.18 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 13 2025 | 19h 31m 19s | -28° 11’ 47” | 19.18 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 14 2025 | 19h 30m 33s | -28° 14’ 00” | 19.19 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 15 2025 | 19h 29m 47s | -28° 16’ 11” | 19.19 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 16 2025 | 19h 29m 01s | -28° 18’ 20” | 19.19 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 17 2025 | 19h 28m 15s | -28° 20’ 25” | 19.19 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 18 2025 | 19h 27m 29s | -28° 22’ 28” | 19.19 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 19 2025 | 19h 26m 43s | -28° 24’ 28” | 19.20 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 20 2025 | 19h 25m 57s | -28° 26’ 26” | 19.20 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 21 2025 | 19h 25m 12s | -28° 28’ 20” | 19.20 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 22 2025 | 19h 24m 26s | -28° 30’ 13” | 19.20 | Sagittarius |
| Jul 23 2025 | 19h 23m 41s | -28° 32’ 02” | 19.21 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost)?: Key information on where to find comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) in the sky.
- Distance of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from Earth: Find out how far comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost)'s position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet 5D/Brorsen (Lost) with respect to the major Solar System objects.