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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:47  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas)

Altitude: 0.3°   Azimuth: 202.1°   Direction: South-South-West

Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) is currently in the constellation of Hydra.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) is 11h 52m 38s and the Declination is -34° 55’ 18” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) is 15.42 (JPL).

11h 52m 38s
-34° 55’ 18”
Hydra
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
15.42

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 G2 (Atlas) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 124.9°
Max altitude: 3.6°
Azimuth: 235.1°
  • C/2021 G2 (Atlas) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 0° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 G2 (Atlas) is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 20 inches (500mm) or more.
  • 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 G2 (Atlas) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) 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/2021 G2 (Atlas) in Hydra on December,05 2023
Map showing Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) in Hydra on December, 05 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2021 G2 (Atlas)
Map showing Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) in Hydra on December, 05 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 G2 (Atlas)
RA: 11h 52m 38s
Dec: -34° 55’ 18”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) from Earth is currently 864,696,476 kilometers, equivalent to 5.780139 Astronomical Units. Light takes 48 minutes and 4.3170 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) and arrive to us.

864,696,476
5.780139
48 minutes and 4.3170 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) 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 G2 (Atlas) 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 G2 (Atlas) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) to Earth happens on Mon Apr 15 2024 at a distance of 4.237736 Astronomical Units, or 633,956,301 kilometers:

Mon Apr 15 2024
633,956,301
4.237736

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

Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas), 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 G2 (Atlas) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) at epoch 27 July 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459788.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99882083
Orbit inclination i 48.47251345°
Perihelion distance q 4.97959854 AU
744,937,340 km
Aphelion distance Q 8,440.97844756 AU
1,262,752,404,912 km
Semi-major axis a 4,222.97902305 AU
631,748,671,126 km
Orbital period period 274,433.1613 years
100,236,712.1727 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2024-Sep-09 22:32:55
2,460,563.4395 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 343.35883101016°
Longitude of the ascending node node 221.10788253081°
Mean anomaly M 359.99721680586°
Mean motion n 0.00000359°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) 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 G2 (Atlas)
View Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 G2 (Atlas) 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 G2 (Atlas) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 28 11h 47m 22s -34° 15’ 51” 15.47 Hydra
2023 Nov 29 11h 48m 06s -34° 21’ 14” 15.46 Hydra
2023 Nov 30 11h 48m 51s -34° 26’ 36” 15.45 Hydra
2023 Dec 01 11h 49m 35s -34° 31’ 59” 15.45 Hydra
2023 Dec 02 11h 50m 17s -34° 37’ 21” 15.44 Hydra
2023 Dec 03 11h 50m 59s -34° 42’ 41” 15.43 Hydra
2023 Dec 04 11h 51m 42s -34° 48’ 01” 15.42 Hydra
2023 Dec 05 11h 52m 23s -34° 53’ 21” 15.42 Hydra
2023 Dec 06 11h 53m 04s -34° 58’ 38” 15.41 Hydra
2023 Dec 07 11h 53m 45s -35° 03’ 56” 15.40 Hydra
2023 Dec 08 11h 54m 25s -35° 09’ 11” 15.40 Hydra
2023 Dec 09 11h 55m 05s -35° 14’ 26” 15.39 Hydra
2023 Dec 10 11h 55m 44s -35° 19’ 41” 15.38 Hydra
2023 Dec 11 11h 56m 22s -35° 24’ 52” 15.37 Hydra