Highlights
- The Sun is in Virgo, the Moon is Waxing Crescent in Sagittarius
- T CrB: magnitude
10.215 ± 0.0215 [2024-10-09 01:00:18 UTC, CCD/V, PJEE/AAVSO] - Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):
magnitude
-3.3 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 01m 41s | -06° 34’ 49” | 1,921.2” | -26.75 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Moon | 18h 10m 41s | -29° 29’ 03” | 1,836.4” | -9.49 | 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 25m 57s | -08° 34’ 28” | 4.7” | -0.98 | Virgo | map my_location |
| Venus | 15h 09m 24s | -18° 25’ 01” | 12.7” | -3.93 | Libra | map my_location |
| Mars | 07h 23m 31s | +22° 47’ 41” | 7.9” | 0.30 | Gemini | map my_location |
| Jupiter | 05h 22m 28s | +22° 26’ 11” | 42.4” | -2.52 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Saturn | 23h 03m 46s | -08° 22’ 33” | 18.2” | 0.69 | Aquarius | map my_location |
| Uranus | 03h 37m 45s | +19° 09’ 03” | 3.7” | 5.66 | Taurus | map my_location |
| Neptune | 23h 54m 47s | -02° 00’ 30” | 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 00m 54s | -03° 02’ 41” | -3.3 | 6.00 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| 13P/Olbers | 15h 00m 00s | +01° 42’ 21” | 9.8 | 11.23 | Virgo Vir | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 S1 (ATLAS) | 10h 11m 21s | -15° 52’ 10” | 12.6 | 14.21 | Hydra Hya | map my_location | ||
| C/2022 E2 (ATLAS) | 07h 33m 05s | +53° 15’ 21” | 12.7 | 13.39 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| 154P/Brewington | 08h 52m 29s | +33° 43’ 47” | 13.7 | 17.54 | Lynx Lyn | map my_location | ||
| 12P/Pons-Brooks | 14h 08m 13s | -47° 38’ 25” | - | 14.21 | Centaurus Cen | map my_location | ||
| 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann | 09h 54m 35s | +11° 35’ 33” | 14.4 | 17.85 | Leo Leo | map my_location | ||
| C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) | 19h 42m 26s | +44° 02’ 29” | 14.7 | 12.92 | Cygnus Cyg | map my_location | ||
| C/2023 C2 (ATLAS) | 17h 42m 29s | -35° 15’ 40” | - | 14.73 | Scorpius Sco | map my_location | ||
| C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) | 14h 16m 27s | -47° 05’ 42” | - | 14.80 | 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 10s | +07° 21’ 50” | 8.15 | Leo | map my_location | ||
| 1036 Ganymed | 22h 03m 35s | +36° 03’ 41” | 8.86 | Pegasus | map my_location | ||
| 1 Ceres | 18h 58m 11s | -30° 10’ 59” | 8.99 | Sagittarius | map my_location | ||
| 15 Eunomia | 05h 49m 53s | +35° 37’ 04” | 9.25 | Auriga | map my_location | ||
| 7 Iris | 20h 35m 28s | -11° 01’ 18” | 9.34 | Capricornus | map my_location | ||
| 19 Fortuna | 01h 37m 26s | +10° 40’ 47” | 9.58 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 20 Massalia | 00h 16m 08s | +02° 07’ 35” | 9.60 | Pisces | map my_location | ||
| 2 Pallas | 16h 51m 12s | +08° 18’ 09” | 10.34 | Hercules | map my_location | ||
| 11 Parthenope | 03h 53m 23s | +13° 02’ 01” | 10.47 | Taurus | map my_location | ||
| 10 Hygiea | 01h 50m 22s | +16° 54’ 19” | 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 | |