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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:48  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:05 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4)

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) is currently in the constellation of Monoceros.

The current Right Ascension of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) is 06h 55m 01s and the Declination is +09° 23’ 58” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) is 24.55 (JPL).

06h 55m 01s
+09° 23’ 58”
Monoceros
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
24.55

The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. 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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 80.6°
Max altitude: 47.9°
Azimuth: 279.4°
  • C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.

Available Resources

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.

Finder chart of C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) in Monoceros on June,02 2023
Map showing Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) in Monoceros on June, 02 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) in Monoceros on June, 02 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS)
RA: 06h 55m 01s
Dec: +09° 23’ 58”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) from Earth is currently 1,854,498,296 kilometers, equivalent to 12.396555 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 43 minutes and 5.9405 seconds to travel from Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) and arrive to us.

1,854,498,296
12.396555
1 hours, 43 minutes and 5.9405 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.

Chart of the distance of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) to Earth happens on Sun May 24 2020 at a distance of 0.785983 Astronomical Units, or 117,581,331 kilometers:

Sun May 24 2020
117,581,331
0.785983

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4), 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) as a function of time

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) at epoch 08 April 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458948.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00220952
Orbit inclination i 45.98190846°
Perihelion distance q 0.25034836 AU
37,451,582 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2020-May-31 01:06:56
2,459,000.5465 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 177.18432752223°
Longitude of the ascending node node 121.04661873201°
Mean anomaly M -0.042532965091786°
Mean motion n 0.00081721°/day

Visualization of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) 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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4)
View Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 26 06h 52m 58s +09° 20’ 53” 24.52 Monoceros
2023 May 27 06h 53m 15s +09° 21’ 23” 24.53 Monoceros
2023 May 28 06h 53m 31s +09° 21’ 51” 24.53 Monoceros
2023 May 29 06h 53m 48s +09° 22’ 18” 24.54 Monoceros
2023 May 30 06h 54m 05s +09° 22’ 44” 24.54 Monoceros
2023 May 31 06h 54m 21s +09° 23’ 08” 24.54 Monoceros
2023 Jun 01 06h 54m 38s +09° 23’ 31” 24.55 Monoceros
2023 Jun 02 06h 54m 56s +09° 23’ 53” 24.55 Monoceros
2023 Jun 03 06h 55m 14s +09° 24’ 14” 24.56 Monoceros
2023 Jun 04 06h 55m 32s +09° 24’ 33” 24.56 Monoceros
2023 Jun 05 06h 55m 49s +09° 24’ 51” 24.57 Monoceros
2023 Jun 06 06h 56m 07s +09° 25’ 08” 24.57 Monoceros
2023 Jun 07 06h 56m 25s +09° 25’ 23” 24.57 Monoceros
2023 Jun 08 06h 56m 43s +09° 25’ 37” 24.58 Monoceros