We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
Help keep this site free and ads-free: donate now!
public LocationGreenwich, United Kingdom
TimezoneEurope/London
Sunrise: 5:24 
Transit: 12:55 
Sunset: 20:27
wb_twilight   (Civil Twilight)   What's Visible Now?

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS)

Altitude: 48.2°   Azimuth: 49.7°   Direction: North-East

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Draco, at a distance of 877,349,674 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) in Draco on May,05 2024
Map showing Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) in Draco on May, 05 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) is 15h 27m 30s and the Declination is +58° 25’ 33” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) is 18.41 (JPL).

15h 27m 30s
+58° 25’ 33”
Draco
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
18.41

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 C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Today Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) is circumpolar and transits at 00:33 UTC reaching a maximum altitude of 83.1°.
  • C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
  • Right now it is placed in the North-East direction at an altitude of 48° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2020 R7 (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.

Additional Resources

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/2020 R7 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) in Draco on May, 05 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2020 R7 (ATLAS)
RA: 15h 27m 30s
Dec: +58° 25’ 33”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 877,349,674 kilometers, equivalent to 5.864720 Astronomical Units. Light takes 48 minutes and 46.5235 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

877,349,674
5.864720
48 minutes and 46.5235 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) 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 C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) 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/2020 R7 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Fri Jul 15 2022 at a distance of 2.181064 Astronomical Units, or 326,282,504 kilometers:

Fri Jul 15 2022
326,282,504
2.181064

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

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 R7 (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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) at epoch 15 February 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459626.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00001380
Orbit inclination i 114.89152319°
Perihelion distance q 2.95613077 AU
442,230,870 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2022-Sep-16 04:52:09
2,459,838.7029 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 347.82553830029°
Longitude of the ascending node node 268.28026251837°
Mean anomaly M -2.1102646001987E-6°
Mean motion n 0.00000001°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 R7 (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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS)
View Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2020 R7 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 R7 (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/2020 R7 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Apr 28 15h 39m 05s +57° 40’ 44” 18.36 Draco
2024 Apr 29 15h 37m 37s +57° 47’ 17” 18.36 Draco
2024 Apr 30 15h 36m 10s +57° 53’ 38” 18.37 Draco
2024 May 01 15h 34m 41s +57° 59’ 43” 18.38 Draco
2024 May 02 15h 33m 12s +58° 05’ 34” 18.38 Draco
2024 May 03 15h 31m 42s +58° 11’ 09” 18.39 Draco
2024 May 04 15h 30m 12s +58° 16’ 31” 18.40 Draco
2024 May 05 15h 28m 42s +58° 21’ 37” 18.40 Draco
2024 May 06 15h 27m 12s +58° 26’ 27” 18.41 Draco
2024 May 07 15h 25m 41s +58° 31’ 05” 18.41 Draco
2024 May 08 15h 24m 11s +58° 35’ 26” 18.42 Draco
2024 May 09 15h 22m 40s +58° 39’ 33” 18.43 Draco
2024 May 10 15h 21m 08s +58° 43’ 24” 18.43 Draco
2024 May 11 15h 19m 37s +58° 47’ 02” 18.44 Draco