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🌎  Observing from: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
🌅 Sunrise: 6:45  ☀️ Transit: 13:03  🌅 Sunset: 19:23

Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF)

Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) is currently in the constellation of Monoceros. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) is 07h 34m 33s and the Declination is -04° 26’ 54” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) is 19.70 (JPL).

07h 34m 33s
-04° 26’ 54”
Monoceros
19.70

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 94.4°
Max altitude: 34.1°
Azimuth: 265.6°
  • C/2021 D2 (ZTF) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 D2 (ZTF) 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/2021 D2 (ZTF) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) 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.

Map showing Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) in Monoceros on March, 28 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Map showing Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) in Monoceros on March, 28 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
 = visible to the naked eye
 = binocular, brighter than 10th magnitude
= current altitude ≥ 30°   = current altitude < 30°   = below the horizon
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 D2 (ZTF)
RA: 07h 34m 33s
Dec: -04° 26’ 54”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) from Earth is currently 679,583,509 kilometers, equivalent to 4.542735 Astronomical Units. Light takes 37 minutes and 46.8466 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) and arrive to us.

679,583,509
4.542735
37 minutes and 46.8466 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) 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/2021 D2 (ZTF) 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/2021 D2 (ZTF) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) to Earth happens on Tue Feb 8 2022 at a distance of 2.536475 Astronomical Units, or 379,451,320 kilometers:

Tue Feb 8 2022
379,451,320
2.536475

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

Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) Brightness

The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) is 19.70.

19.70
-
-

The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF), 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/2021 D2 (ZTF) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) at epoch 06 November 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459525.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00133390
Orbit inclination i 83.83124897°
Perihelion distance q 2.94630188 AU
440,760,489 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2022-Feb-03 23:30:55
2,459,614.4798 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 125.02930170885°
Longitude of the ascending node node 305.67734555224°
Mean anomaly M -0.00084481829623513°
Mean motion n 0.00000949°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) 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/2021 D2 (ZTF)
View Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2021 D2 (ZTF) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Mar 21 07h 36m 42s -04° 24’ 20” 19.61 Monoceros
2023 Mar 22 07h 36m 20s -04° 24’ 41” 19.62 Monoceros
2023 Mar 23 07h 36m 02s -04° 25’ 03” 19.63 Monoceros
2023 Mar 24 07h 35m 43s -04° 25’ 23” 19.65 Monoceros
2023 Mar 25 07h 35m 26s -04° 25’ 44” 19.66 Monoceros
2023 Mar 26 07h 35m 08s -04° 26’ 03” 19.67 Monoceros
2023 Mar 27 07h 34m 54s -04° 26’ 24” 19.69 Monoceros
2023 Mar 28 07h 34m 38s -04° 26’ 44” 19.70 Monoceros
2023 Mar 29 07h 34m 26s -04° 27’ 03” 19.71 Monoceros
2023 Mar 30 07h 34m 13s -04° 27’ 24” 19.73 Monoceros
2023 Mar 31 07h 34m 01s -04° 27’ 46” 19.74 Monoceros
2023 Apr 01 07h 33m 51s -04° 28’ 06” 19.75 Monoceros
2023 Apr 02 07h 33m 41s -04° 28’ 28” 19.76 Monoceros
2023 Apr 03 07h 33m 32s -04° 28’ 50” 19.78 Monoceros