Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS)
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Grus, at a distance of 1,107,778,384 kilometers from Earth.
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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 P4 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 1,107,778,384 kilometers, equivalent to 7.405041 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 1 minutes and 35.1509 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 P4 (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.
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 P4 (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 P4 (ATLAS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Wed Jul 13 2022 at a distance of 1.957861 Astronomical Units, or 292,891,805 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 P4 (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.
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) at epoch 09 January 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459589.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99656500 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 56.31079673° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.08046264 AU 161,634,911 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
628.00921043 AU 93,948,840,848 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
314.54483653 AU 47,055,237,879 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5,578.6876 years 2,037,615.6490 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Jul-30 09:00:37 2,459,790.8754 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 7601-May-19 00:35 4,497,406.5245 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 175.82241494569° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 348.09486623284° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.96442157471° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00017668°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 P4 (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!
View Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 P4 (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 P4 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 11 | 22h 53m 03s | -48° 03’ 28” | 21.95 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 12 | 22h 53m 39s | -48° 03’ 43” | 21.95 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 13 | 22h 54m 11s | -48° 04’ 04” | 21.95 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 14 | 22h 54m 46s | -48° 04’ 30” | 21.96 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 15 | 22h 55m 18s | -48° 04’ 59” | 21.96 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 16 | 22h 55m 50s | -48° 05’ 35” | 21.96 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 17 | 22h 56m 22s | -48° 06’ 15” | 21.96 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 18 | 22h 56m 53s | -48° 07’ 01” | 21.97 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 22h 57m 24s | -48° 07’ 51” | 21.97 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 22h 57m 56s | -48° 08’ 48” | 21.97 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 22h 58m 26s | -48° 09’ 47” | 21.98 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 22h 58m 54s | -48° 10’ 53” | 21.98 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 22h 59m 23s | -48° 12’ 02” | 21.98 | Grus |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 22h 59m 52s | -48° 13’ 18” | 21.99 | Grus |