Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF)

Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is currently in the constellation of Canis Minoris. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is 08h 04m 03s and the Declination is +02° 07’ 42” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) is 18.80 (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/2021 E3 (ZTF) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF)?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) from Earth?)
• When does Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF)?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) 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/2021 E3 (ZTF) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

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.

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 869,192,624 kilometers, equivalent to 5.810194 Astronomical Units. Light takes 48 minutes and 19.3145 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 E3 (ZTF) and arrive to us.

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.

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:

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.

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!

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
2023 Sep 24	08h 02m 54s	+02° 09’ 38”	18.79	Canis Minoris
2023 Sep 25	08h 03m 06s	+02° 09’ 20”	18.79	Canis Minoris
2023 Sep 26	08h 03m 15s	+02° 09’ 05”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Sep 27	08h 03m 25s	+02° 08’ 48”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Sep 28	08h 03m 34s	+02° 08’ 34”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Sep 29	08h 03m 43s	+02° 08’ 18”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Sep 30	08h 03m 51s	+02° 08’ 03”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 01	08h 04m 00s	+02° 07’ 50”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 02	08h 04m 06s	+02° 07’ 36”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 03	08h 04m 13s	+02° 07’ 23”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 04	08h 04m 18s	+02° 07’ 13”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 05	08h 04m 23s	+02° 07’ 01”	18.80	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 06	08h 04m 27s	+02° 06’ 51”	18.81	Canis Minoris
2023 Oct 07	08h 04m 32s	+02° 06’ 42”	18.81	Canis Minoris