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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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Comets » 

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF)

Altitude: -26.6°   Azimuth: 348.6°   Direction: North-North-West

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is currently in the constellation of Monoceros, at a distance of 989,208,650 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of C/2021 E3 (ZTF) in Monoceros on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) in Monoceros on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is 06h 43m 43s and the Declination is +11° 14’ 21” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is 19.60 (JPL).

06h 43m 43s
+11° 14’ 21”
Monoceros
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
19.60

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/2021 E3 (ZTF) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 78.7°
Max altitude: 49.8°
Azimuth: 281.2°
  • C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 E3 (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.

Additional Resources

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/2021 E3 (ZTF)
Map showing Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) in Monoceros on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 E3 (ZTF)
RA: 06h 43m 43s
Dec: +11° 14’ 21”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) from Earth is currently 989,208,650 kilometers, equivalent to 6.612451 Astronomical Units. Light takes 54 minutes and 59.6449 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) and arrive to us.

989,208,650
6.612451
54 minutes and 59.6449 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 E3 (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 E3 (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 E3 (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 E3 (ZTF) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) to Earth happens on Wed Jun 1 2022 at a distance of 1.214491 Astronomical Units, or 181,685,276 kilometers:

Wed Jun 1 2022
181,685,276
1.214491

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

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 E3 (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 E3 (ZTF) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) at epoch 14 November 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459533.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00083016
Orbit inclination i 112.56017782°
Perihelion distance q 1.77742596 AU
265,899,139 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2022-Jun-11 21:45:40
2,459,742.4067 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 228.84485900279°
Longitude of the ascending node node 104.4665460911°
Mean anomaly M -0.0020783056484012°
Mean motion n 0.00000995°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 E3 (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 E3 (ZTF)
View Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 E3 (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 E3 (ZTF) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 06h 45m 01s +10° 42’ 30” 19.52 Monoceros
2024 Mar 13 06h 44m 48s +10° 47’ 00” 19.53 Monoceros
2024 Mar 14 06h 44m 35s +10° 51’ 29” 19.55 Monoceros
2024 Mar 15 06h 44m 25s +10° 55’ 54” 19.56 Monoceros
2024 Mar 16 06h 44m 13s +11° 00’ 19” 19.57 Monoceros
2024 Mar 17 06h 44m 03s +11° 04’ 41” 19.58 Monoceros
2024 Mar 18 06h 43m 54s +11° 09’ 00” 19.59 Monoceros
2024 Mar 19 06h 43m 45s +11° 13’ 17” 19.60 Monoceros
2024 Mar 20 06h 43m 37s +11° 17’ 31” 19.61 Monoceros
2024 Mar 21 06h 43m 29s +11° 21’ 45” 19.62 Monoceros
2024 Mar 22 06h 43m 23s +11° 25’ 55” 19.63 Monoceros
2024 Mar 23 06h 43m 18s +11° 30’ 03” 19.64 Monoceros
2024 Mar 24 06h 43m 11s +11° 34’ 09” 19.65 Monoceros
2024 Mar 25 06h 43m 08s +11° 38’ 13” 19.66 Monoceros