Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS)
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Pavo. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is 20h 29m 59s and the Declination is -63° 55’ 58” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is 17.25 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) rise and set times.
- 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 information about Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet C/2021 P4 (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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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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 521,638,046 kilometers, equivalent to 3.486935 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 59.9972 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 January 2013 and 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 292,891,869 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is 17.25.
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 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) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) at epoch 08 January 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459588.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99656449 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 56.31078796° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.08046347 AU 161,635,034 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
627.91612315 AU 93,934,915,189 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
314.49829331 AU 47,048,275,112 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5,577.4494 years 2,037,163.4065 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Jul-30 09:00:46 2,459,790.8755 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 7600-Feb-21 18:46 4,496,954.2821 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 175.82241867582° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 348.09484491068° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.96423694067° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00017672°/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Jan 29 | 20h 04m 53s | -64° 22’ 59” | 17.11 | Pavo |
| 2023 Jan 30 | 20h 08m 25s | -64° 19’ 33” | 17.13 | Pavo |
| 2023 Jan 31 | 20h 11m 54s | -64° 16’ 02” | 17.15 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 01 | 20h 15m 21s | -64° 12’ 26” | 17.16 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 02 | 20h 18m 47s | -64° 08’ 47” | 17.18 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 03 | 20h 22m 09s | -64° 05’ 02” | 17.20 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 04 | 20h 25m 31s | -64° 01’ 13” | 17.22 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 05 | 20h 28m 49s | -63° 57’ 20” | 17.24 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 06 | 20h 32m 04s | -63° 53’ 25” | 17.26 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 07 | 20h 35m 18s | -63° 49’ 27” | 17.27 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 08 | 20h 38m 30s | -63° 45’ 25” | 17.29 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 09 | 20h 41m 39s | -63° 41’ 22” | 17.31 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 10 | 20h 44m 47s | -63° 37’ 18” | 17.33 | Pavo |
| 2023 Feb 11 | 20h 47m 52s | -63° 33’ 11” | 17.35 | Pavo |