Highlights
- The Sun is in Virgo, the Moon is Waxing Crescent in Virgo
- T CrB: magnitude
11.303 ± 0.007 [2024-10-03 19:31:36 UTC, CCD/B, OAR/AAVSO] - Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):
magnitude
1.5 in Leo - Comet 13P/Olbers:
magnitude
9.3 in Virgo - Comet C/2022 E2 (ATLAS):
magnitude
13.2 in Lynx -
Next NEO approach:
Asteroid (NEO) 2024 TF,
Oct 4 2024 at 18:38 UTC,300,111 km,0.78 lunar distances - Neptune 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 | 12h 43m 19s | -04° 39’ 36” | 1,918.4” | -26.74 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Moon | 13h 50m 58s | -14° 30’ 23” | 1,766.9” | -5.79 | Virgo | 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 | 12h 55m 06s | -04° 51’ 39” | 4.8” | -1.38 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Venus | 14h 45m 10s | -16° 26’ 00” | 12.4” | -3.92 | Libra | map my_location |
| Mars | 07h 12m 37s | +23° 00’ 12” | 7.7” | 0.38 | Gemini | map my_location |
| Jupiter | 05h 22m 18s | +22° 26’ 08” | 41.8” | -2.48 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Saturn | 23h 04m 53s | -08° 15’ 53” | 18.3” | 0.67 | Aquarius | map my_location |
| Uranus | 03h 38m 19s | +19° 10’ 58” | 3.7” | 5.67 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Neptune | 23h 55m 16s | -01° 57’ 23” | 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.
4.8”
12.4”
7.7”
41.8”
18.3”
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) | 11h 38m 07s | -05° 08’ 36” | 1.5 | 6.00 | Leo Leo | map my_location | ||
| 13P/Olbers | 14h 48m 39s | +03° 32’ 48” | 9.3 | 10.99 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 07h 36m 02s | +51° 45’ 42” | 13.2 | 13.44 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | 17h 33m 19s | -36° 46’ 36” | 13.2 | 14.70 | Scorpius Sco | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) | 09h 39m 23s | -14° 00’ 51” | 13.7 | 15.14 | Hydra Hya | map my_location | ||
| 12P/Pons-Brooks | 13h 56m 21s | -47° 39’ 01” | - | 14.01 | Centaurus Cen | map my_location | ||
| C/2020 V2 (ZTF) | 21h 29m 10s | -69° 48’ 52” | 14.5 | 15.70 | Pavo Pav | map my_location | ||
| C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) | 19h 37m 59s | +45° 20’ 22” | 14.8 | 12.80 | Cygnus Cyg | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 N2 (PANSTARRS) | 22h 40m 21s | -05° 09’ 17” | 14.8 | 15.82 | Aquarius Aqr | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) | 09h 56m 35s | -29° 55’ 52” | - | 14.90 | Antlia Ant | 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 27m 10s | +08° 12’ 50” | 8.15 | Leo | map my_location | ||
| 1 Ceres | 18h 53m 28s | -30° 19’ 46” | 8.93 | Sagittarius | map my_location | ||
| 1036 Ganymed | 21h 40m 36s | +40° 51’ 39” | 8.97 | Cygnus | map my_location | ||
| 7 Iris | 20h 32m 48s | -10° 59’ 45” | 9.26 | Capricornus | map my_location | ||
| 15 Eunomia | 05h 45m 23s | +35° 28’ 44” | 9.32 | Auriga | map my_location | ||
| 20 Massalia | 00h 20m 39s | +02° 38’ 40” | 9.47 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 19 Fortuna | 01h 41m 22s | +11° 08’ 55” | 9.76 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 2 Pallas | 16h 45m 25s | +08° 59’ 33” | 10.31 | Hercules | map my_location | ||
| 11 Parthenope | 03h 54m 42s | +13° 16’ 19” | 10.57 | Taurus | map my_location | ||
| 10 Hygiea | 01h 53m 56s | +17° 11’ 51” | 10.73 | 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 | |
| Daytime Sextantids | 27 Sep | 10h 05m | +00° | 5 | bright | map | ||