Highlights
- The Sun is in Virgo, the Moon is Full in Pisces
- T CrB: magnitude
9.926 ± 0.008 [2024-09-18 00:04:37 UTC, CCD/V, LMA/AAVSO] - Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):
magnitude
4.3 in Sextans - Comet 13P/Olbers:
magnitude
9.2 in Bootes - Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks:
magnitude
11.0 in Centaurus -
Next NEO approach:
Asteroid (NEO) 2024 RY15,
Sep 21 2024 at 07:12 UTC,903,653 km,2.35 lunar distances - The Moon is at opposition
- Saturn is close to opposition
- Neptune is at opposition
- Asteroid 17 Thetis is close to opposition
- Asteroid 20 Massalia is close to opposition
Popular Objects
Popular objects during the last 7 days based on the number of visualizations.
The Solar System
Current positions of the major bodies of the Solar System and the brightest comets.
Sun and Moon
How the Sun and the Moon look like today.
| R.A. | Decl. | Apparent Diameter | MagnitudeMag | ConstellationConst | Charts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 11h 44m 24s | +01° 41’ 05” | 1,909.7” | -26.73 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Moon | 23h 47m 13s | -02° 55’ 35” | 2,004.9” | -12.81 | Pisces | map |
The Planets
Current essential information about the planets. Click each planet to view full details.
| Planet | R.A. | Decl. | Diameter | MagnitudeMag | ConstellationConst | Charts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 11h 07m 15s | +07° 36’ 36” | 5.4” | -1.30 | Leo | map my_location |
| Venus | 13h 29m 23s | -08° 58’ 42” | 11.6” | -3.89 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Mars | 06h 34m 11s | +23° 26’ 41” | 7.1” | 0.64 | Gemini | map my_location |
| Jupiter | 05h 19m 19s | +22° 23’ 46” | 39.7” | -2.37 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Saturn | 23h 09m 08s | -07° 49’ 52” | 18.5” | 0.61 | Aquarius | map my_location |
| Uranus | 03h 39m 39s | +19° 15’ 29” | 3.7” | 5.69 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Neptune | 23h 56m 54s | -01° 46’ 39” | 2.3” | 7.68 | Pisces | map my_location |
Jupiter Moons
Position of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. A dedicated tool is available, with more advanced features.
Saturn Moons & Rings
Inclination of the rings of Saturn and positions of major satellites. A dedicated tool is available, with more advanced features.
Apparent Planet Sizes
Comparison between the apparent size of the planets, measured in seconds of a degree, as they appear today.
5.4”
11.6”
7.1”
39.7”
18.5”
3.7”
2.3”
Credits for the planet images: NASA-APL - NASA.
Brightest Comets
List of the 10 brightest comets (open the full list of 227 comets).
| Comet | R.A. | Decl. | Magnitude (COBS)Mag Obs | Magnitude (JPL)Mag Pred | ConstellationConst | Charts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) | 10h 36m 26s | -05° 47’ 31” | 4.3 | 7.72 | Sextans Sex | map my_location | ||
| 13P/Olbers | 14h 08m 23s | +10° 22’ 03” | 9.2 | 10.17 | Bootes Boo | map my_location | ||
| 12P/Pons-Brooks | 13h 14m 04s | -47° 40’ 23” | 11.0 | 13.29 | Centaurus Cen | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 07h 39m 29s | +47° 32’ 26” | 13.0 | 13.61 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| 130P/McNaught-Hughes | 02h 43m 05s | +08° 17’ 10” | 13.8 | 17.16 | Cetus Cet | map my_location | ||
| C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | 17h 03m 52s | -41° 56’ 47” | - | 14.61 | Scorpius Sco | map my_location | ||
| C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) | 19h 26m 24s | +49° 45’ 53” | 14.7 | 12.41 | Cygnus Cyg | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 N2 (PANSTARRS) | 22h 46m 03s | -04° 44’ 47” | 14.7 | 15.87 | Aquarius Aqr | map my_location | ||
| C/2023 R2 (PANSTARRS) | 13h 11m 22s | +01° 05’ 33” | - | 14.71 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 S4 (Lemmon) | 11h 12m 55s | -64° 44’ 48” | - | 14.74 | Carina Car | map my_location |
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.
Brightest Asteroids
List of the 10 brightest asteroids (open the full list of 78 asteroids and dwarf planets.)
| Asteroid | R.A. | Decl. | MagnitudeMag | ConstellationConst | Charts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Vesta | 10h 57m 43s | +10° 57’ 04” | 8.10 | Leo | map my_location | ||
| 1 Ceres | 18h 41m 23s | -30° 41’ 47” | 8.72 | Sagittarius | map my_location | ||
| 7 Iris | 20h 29m 52s | -10° 36’ 14” | 8.98 | Capricornus | map my_location | ||
| 1036 Ganymed | 20h 31m 52s | +51° 14’ 33” | 9.42 | Cygnus | map my_location | ||
| 15 Eunomia | 05h 25m 48s | +34° 52’ 19” | 9.55 | Auriga | map my_location | ||
| 20 Massalia | 00h 35m 18s | +04° 18’ 02” | 9.70 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 2 Pallas | 16h 28m 10s | +11° 28’ 16” | 10.23 | Hercules | map my_location | ||
| 19 Fortuna | 01h 50m 26s | +12° 14’ 47” | 10.25 | Aries | map my_location | ||
| 16 Psyche | 20h 40m 51s | -17° 49’ 33” | 10.47 | Capricornus | map my_location | ||
| 11 Parthenope | 03h 53m 30s | +13° 49’ 30” | 10.89 | Taurus | map my_location |
Active Meteor Showers
List of the currently active meteor showers.
| Name | Peak | Radiant R.A. | Radiant Decl. | ZHR ⓘ | Rating | Parent Object | Charts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Taurids | 10 Oct | 02h 06m | +09° | 5 | bright | Comet Encke | map | |
| Daytime Sextantids | 27 Sep | 10h 05m | +00° | 5 | bright | map | ||
| September Epsilon Perseids | 9 Sep | 03h 12m | +40° | 5 | medium | map | ||