Highlights
- The Sun is in Virgo, the Moon is Waxing Crescent in Ophiucus
- T CrB: magnitude
10.135 ± 0.003 [2024-10-08 08:56:43 UTC, CCD/CV, IDG/AAVSO] - Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):
magnitude
-3.3 in Virgo - Comet 13P/Olbers:
magnitude
9.8 in Virgo - Comet C/2022 E2 (ATLAS):
magnitude
12.7 in Lynx -
Next NEO approach:
Asteroid (NEO) 2018 QE,
Oct 9 2024 at 04:03 UTC,668,092 km,1.74 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 | 12h 58m 28s | -06° 14’ 52” | 1,920.8” | -26.74 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Moon | 17h 18m 21s | -29° 06’ 13” | 1,817.3” | -8.99 | Ophiucus | 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 20m 38s | -07° 56’ 35” | 4.7” | -1.03 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Venus | 15h 05m 08s | -18° 05’ 04” | 12.7” | -3.93 | Libra | map my_location |
| Mars | 07h 21m 39s | +22° 49’ 56” | 7.9” | 0.32 | Gemini | map my_location |
| Jupiter | 05h 22m 28s | +22° 26’ 12” | 42.3” | -2.52 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Saturn | 23h 03m 57s | -08° 21’ 27” | 18.3” | 0.69 | Aquarius | map my_location |
| Uranus | 03h 37m 51s | +19° 09’ 24” | 3.7” | 5.66 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Neptune | 23h 54m 52s | -01° 59’ 57” | 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”
42.3”
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) | 12h 43m 25s | -03° 30’ 30” | -3.3 | 6.00 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| 13P/Olbers | 14h 58m 03s | +02° 01’ 06” | 9.8 | 11.19 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 07h 33m 41s | +52° 59’ 20” | 12.7 | 13.40 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) | 10h 05m 09s | -15° 32’ 20” | 13.1 | 14.39 | Hydra Hya | map my_location | ||
| 154P/Brewington | 08h 50m 53s | +33° 47’ 47” | 13.7 | 17.52 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| 12P/Pons-Brooks | 14h 06m 11s | -47° 38’ 30” | - | 14.18 | Centaurus Cen | map my_location | ||
| C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) | 19h 41m 38s | +44° 15’ 53” | 14.4 | 12.90 | Cygnus Cyg | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 N2 (PANSTARRS) | 22h 39m 16s | -05° 13’ 54” | 14.7 | 15.81 | Aquarius Aqr | map my_location | ||
| C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | 17h 40m 53s | -35° 31’ 23” | - | 14.73 | Scorpius Sco | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) | 14h 15m 06s | -47° 12’ 23” | - | 14.83 | 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 34m 36s | +07° 30’ 43” | 8.15 | Leo | map my_location | ||
| 1036 Ganymed | 21h 59m 35s | +36° 56’ 52” | 8.88 | Lacerta | map my_location | ||
| 1 Ceres | 18h 57m 20s | -30° 12’ 35” | 8.98 | Sagittarius | map my_location | ||
| 15 Eunomia | 05h 49m 10s | +35° 35’ 42” | 9.26 | Auriga | map my_location | ||
| 7 Iris | 20h 34m 57s | -11° 01’ 14” | 9.32 | Capricornus | map my_location | ||
| 20 Massalia | 00h 16m 54s | +02° 12’ 55” | 9.57 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 19 Fortuna | 01h 38m 08s | +10° 45’ 53” | 9.61 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 2 Pallas | 16h 50m 10s | +08° 25’ 12” | 10.34 | Hercules | map my_location | ||
| 11 Parthenope | 03h 53m 40s | +13° 04’ 37” | 10.49 | Taurus | map my_location | ||
| 10 Hygiea | 01h 51m 01s | +16° 57’ 33” | 10.65 | 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 | ||
| Draconids | 8 Oct | 17h 30m | +54° | variable | medium | 21P/Giacobini-Zinner | map | |