Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)

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).

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):

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Available Resources

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) from Earth?)
• When does Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) in the sky from your location.
• Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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!

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