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 and help us to keep this site free and ad-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:49  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
wb_twilight Nautical TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)

Altitude: -12.2°   Azimuth: 297.8°   Direction: West-North-West

Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Virgo.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) is 13h 59m 26s and the Declination is +06° 49’ 25” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) is 17.82 (JPL).

13h 59m 26s
+06° 49’ 25”
Virgo
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
17.82

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 S4 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 83.2°
Max altitude: 45.4°
Azimuth: 276.8°
  • C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) 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 C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) 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/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) in Virgo on December,07 2023
Map showing Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) in Virgo on December, 07 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)
Map showing Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) in Virgo on December, 07 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)
RA: 13h 59m 26s
Dec: +06° 49’ 25”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 731,707,287 kilometers, equivalent to 4.891161 Astronomical Units. Light takes 40 minutes and 40.7128 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

731,707,287
4.891161
40 minutes and 40.7128 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) 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 S4 (PANSTARRS) 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 S4 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Mon Feb 6 2023 at a distance of 2.394270 Astronomical Units, or 358,177,662 kilometers:

Mon Feb 6 2023
358,177,662
2.394270

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

Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS), 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 S4 (PANSTARRS) as a function of time

Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 17 February 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459628.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00048970
Orbit inclination i 20.57330924°
Perihelion distance q 3.36950837 AU
504,071,279 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Feb-09 08:04:04
2,459,984.8362 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 21.009253707137°
Longitude of the ascending node node 117.71990843501°
Mean anomaly M -0.0006153370018177°
Mean motion n 0.00000173°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) 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 S4 (PANSTARRS)
View Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) 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 S4 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 30 13h 51m 45s +07° 08’ 41” 17.81 Virgo
2023 Dec 01 13h 52m 45s +07° 05’ 56” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 02 13h 53m 47s +07° 03’ 14” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 03 13h 54m 47s +07° 00’ 37” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 04 13h 55m 46s +06° 58’ 05” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 05 13h 56m 47s +06° 55’ 37” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 06 13h 57m 46s +06° 53’ 16” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 07 13h 58m 45s +06° 50’ 59” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 08 13h 59m 44s +06° 48’ 47” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 09 14h 00m 42s +06° 46’ 41” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 10 14h 01m 38s +06° 44’ 39” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 11 14h 02m 35s +06° 42’ 43” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 12 14h 03m 33s +06° 40’ 53” 17.82 Virgo
2023 Dec 13 14h 04m 28s +06° 39’ 06” 17.82 Virgo