We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate Now! Help keep this site free and ads-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)

Altitude: 17.0°   Azimuth: 89.6°   Direction: East

Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 1,921,456,511 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in Pisces on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in Pisces on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is 00h 31m 00s and the Declination is +13° 26’ 20” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is 23.38 (JPL).

00h 31m 00s
+13° 26’ 20”
Pisces
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
23.38

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 S3 (Erasmus) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 76.6°
Max altitude: 52.0°
Azimuth: 283.5°
  • C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 17° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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 S3 (Erasmus) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)
Map showing Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in Pisces on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)
RA: 00h 31m 00s
Dec: +13° 26’ 20”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) from Earth is currently 1,921,456,511 kilometers, equivalent to 12.844143 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 46 minutes and 49.2890 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) and arrive to us.

1,921,456,511
12.844143
1 hours, 46 minutes and 49.2890 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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 S3 (Erasmus) 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 S3 (Erasmus) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) to Earth happens on Thu Nov 19 2020 at a distance of 1.037747 Astronomical Units, or 155,244,800 kilometers:

Thu Nov 19 2020
155,244,800
1.037747

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

Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus), 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 S3 (Erasmus) as a function of time

Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) at epoch 07 March 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459281.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99795507
Orbit inclination i 19.86140734°
Perihelion distance q 0.39847184 AU
59,610,539 km
Aphelion distance Q 389.31742969 AU
58,241,058,624 km
Semi-major axis a 194.85795076 AU
29,150,334,582 km
Orbital period period 2,720.1033 years
993,517.7334 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2020-Dec-12 16:07:40
2,459,196.1720 JD
Next perihelion transit 4741-Feb-09 09:43
3,452,713.9054 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 349.88556146963°
Longitude of the ascending node node 222.99291398703°
Mean anomaly M 0.0309185016691°
Mean motion n 0.00036235°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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 S3 (Erasmus)
View Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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 S3 (Erasmus) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 00h 28m 45s +13° 14’ 25” 23.36 Pisces
2024 Mar 13 00h 29m 03s +13° 16’ 00” 23.36 Pisces
2024 Mar 14 00h 29m 21s +13° 17’ 35” 23.37 Pisces
2024 Mar 15 00h 29m 40s +13° 19’ 12” 23.37 Pisces
2024 Mar 16 00h 29m 58s +13° 20’ 49” 23.37 Pisces
2024 Mar 17 00h 30m 18s +13° 22’ 28” 23.38 Pisces
2024 Mar 18 00h 30m 36s +13° 24’ 08” 23.38 Pisces
2024 Mar 19 00h 30m 55s +13° 25’ 50” 23.38 Pisces
2024 Mar 20 00h 31m 14s +13° 27’ 30” 23.38 Pisces
2024 Mar 21 00h 31m 32s +13° 29’ 13” 23.39 Pisces
2024 Mar 22 00h 31m 50s +13° 30’ 56” 23.39 Pisces
2024 Mar 23 00h 32m 09s +13° 32’ 40” 23.39 Pisces
2024 Mar 24 00h 32m 29s +13° 34’ 26” 23.40 Pisces
2024 Mar 25 00h 32m 47s +13° 36’ 11” 23.40 Pisces