Highlights
- The Sun is in Virgo, the Moon is Waxing Crescent in Sagittarius
- T CrB: magnitude
10.6829 ± 0.0027 [2024-10-09 02:42:48 UTC, CCD/V, WGR/AAVSO] - Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):
magnitude
-3.0 in Virgo - Comet 13P/Olbers:
magnitude
9.8 in Virgo - Comet C/2024 S1 (ATLAS):
magnitude
12.6 in Hydra -
Next NEO approach:
Asteroid (NEO) 2024 TJ2,
Oct 9 2024 at 22:07 UTC,1,920,160 km,4.99 lunar distances - Neptune is close to opposition
- Asteroid 10 Hygiea is close to opposition
- Asteroid 17 Thetis is close to opposition
- Asteroid 19 Fortuna is close to opposition
- Asteroid 20 Massalia is close to opposition
- Asteroid 87 Sylvia 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 | 13h 02m 17s | -06° 38’ 26” | 1,921.3” | -26.75 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Moon | 18h 17m 46s | -29° 34’ 47” | 1,840.2” | -9.57 | Sagittarius | 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 | 13h 26m 55s | -08° 41’ 19” | 4.7” | -0.97 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Venus | 15h 10m 10s | -18° 28’ 37” | 12.7” | -3.93 | Libra | map my_location |
| Mars | 07h 23m 51s | +22° 47’ 14” | 7.9” | 0.30 | Gemini | map my_location |
| Jupiter | 05h 22m 28s | +22° 26’ 11” | 42.4” | -2.53 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Saturn | 23h 03m 44s | -08° 22’ 45” | 18.2” | 0.70 | Aquarius | map my_location |
| Uranus | 03h 37m 44s | +19° 08’ 59” | 3.7” | 5.66 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Neptune | 23h 54m 46s | -02° 00’ 36” | 2.3” | 7.69 | 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.
4.7”
12.7”
7.9”
42.4”
18.2”
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 228 comets).
| Comet | R.A. | Decl. | Magnitude (COBS)Mag Obs | Magnitude (JPL)Mag Pred | ConstellationConst | Charts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) | 13h 04m 11s | -02° 57’ 22” | -3.0 | 6.00 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| 13P/Olbers | 15h 00m 21s | +01° 38’ 58” | 9.8 | 11.24 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) | 10h 12m 31s | -15° 55’ 46” | 12.6 | 14.18 | Hydra Hya | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 07h 32m 58s | +53° 18’ 16” | 12.7 | 13.39 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| 154P/Brewington | 08h 52m 46s | +33° 43’ 02” | 13.7 | 17.54 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| 12P/Pons-Brooks | 14h 08m 35s | -47° 38’ 23” | - | 14.22 | Centaurus Cen | map my_location | ||
| 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann | 09h 54m 41s | +11° 34’ 58” | 14.4 | 17.85 | Leo Leo | map my_location | ||
| C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) | 19h 42m 35s | +44° 00’ 04” | 14.7 | 12.93 | Cygnus Cyg | map my_location | ||
| C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | 17h 42m 47s | -35° 12’ 49” | - | 14.73 | Scorpius Sco | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) | 14h 16m 42s | -47° 04’ 29” | - | 14.79 | Centaurus Cen | 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 | 11h 36m 27s | +07° 20’ 13” | 8.15 | Leo | map my_location | ||
| 1036 Ganymed | 22h 04m 18s | +35° 54’ 01” | 8.86 | Pegasus | map my_location | ||
| 1 Ceres | 18h 58m 20s | -30° 10’ 41” | 8.99 | Sagittarius | map my_location | ||
| 15 Eunomia | 05h 50m 01s | +35° 37’ 18” | 9.25 | Auriga | map my_location | ||
| 7 Iris | 20h 35m 34s | -11° 01’ 18” | 9.34 | Capricornus | map my_location | ||
| 19 Fortuna | 01h 37m 18s | +10° 39’ 52” | 9.57 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 20 Massalia | 00h 15m 59s | +02° 06’ 37” | 9.60 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 2 Pallas | 16h 51m 23s | +08° 16’ 52” | 10.34 | Hercules | map my_location | ||
| 11 Parthenope | 03h 53m 20s | +13° 01’ 32” | 10.47 | Taurus | map my_location | ||
| 10 Hygiea | 01h 50m 15s | +16° 53’ 43” | 10.63 | Aries | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orionids | 21 Oct | 06h 17m | +16° | 15 | bright | 1P/Halley | map | |
| Southern Taurids | 10 Oct | 02h 06m | +09° | 5 | bright | Comet Encke | map | |
| Delta Aurigids | 11 Oct | 05h 35m | +44° | 2 | medium | map | ||
| Draconids | 8 Oct | 17h 30m | +54° | variable | medium | 21P/Giacobini-Zinner | map | |