Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS)
Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the local timezone Europe/London.
Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Aug 11 | 10h 35m 53s | +35° 07’ 36” | 16.86 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 12 | 10h 36m 20s | +35° 08’ 39” | 16.85 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 13 | 10h 36m 46s | +35° 09’ 47” | 16.85 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 14 | 10h 37m 11s | +35° 10’ 59” | 16.84 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 15 | 10h 37m 38s | +35° 12’ 14” | 16.83 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 16 | 10h 38m 05s | +35° 13’ 32” | 16.83 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 17 | 10h 38m 33s | +35° 14’ 57” | 16.82 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 18 | 10h 39m 00s | +35° 16’ 24” | 16.81 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 19 | 10h 39m 28s | +35° 17’ 57” | 16.80 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 20 | 10h 39m 56s | +35° 19’ 35” | 16.80 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 21 | 10h 40m 24s | +35° 21’ 16” | 16.79 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 22 | 10h 40m 53s | +35° 23’ 03” | 16.78 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 23 | 10h 41m 21s | +35° 24’ 56” | 16.77 | Leo Minor |
| 2018 Aug 24 | 10h 41m 50s | +35° 26’ 52” | 16.76 | Leo Minor |
Distance of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS)
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2018 A3 (ATLAS) at epoch 20 March 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458198.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99308136 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 139.56074441° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.27688627 AU 490,215,210 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
943.98607422 AU 141,218,306,957 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
473.63148025 AU 70,854,261,084 km |
| Orbital period | period |
10,307.8700 years 3,764,950.4719 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2019-Jan-12 20:48:09 2,458,496.3668 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 86.420162579727° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 194.27650747831° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.97151834028° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00009562°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2019-Jan-10 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 2.60577790 AU 389,818,826 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.