Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS)

Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Indus.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is 21h 14m 45s and the Declination is -56° 38’ 20” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) is 21.10 (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 P4 (ATLAS) 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 P4 (ATLAS)?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) from Earth?)
• When does Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS)?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) 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 P4 (ATLAS) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

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 974,867,569 kilometers, equivalent to 6.516587 Astronomical Units. Light takes 54 minutes and 11.8082 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.

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!

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 Dec 04	21h 09m 07s	-57° 37’ 36”	21.02	Indus
2023 Dec 05	21h 09m 52s	-57° 29’ 20”	21.03	Indus
2023 Dec 06	21h 10m 37s	-57° 21’ 06”	21.04	Indus
2023 Dec 07	21h 11m 24s	-57° 12’ 55”	21.05	Indus
2023 Dec 08	21h 12m 10s	-57° 04’ 47”	21.06	Indus
2023 Dec 09	21h 12m 56s	-56° 56’ 43”	21.08	Indus
2023 Dec 10	21h 13m 44s	-56° 48’ 41”	21.09	Indus
2023 Dec 11	21h 14m 30s	-56° 40’ 41”	21.10	Indus
2023 Dec 12	21h 15m 19s	-56° 32’ 45”	21.11	Indus
2023 Dec 13	21h 16m 06s	-56° 24’ 52”	21.12	Indus
2023 Dec 14	21h 16m 55s	-56° 17’ 03”	21.13	Indus
2023 Dec 15	21h 17m 44s	-56° 09’ 15”	21.14	Indus
2023 Dec 16	21h 18m 33s	-56° 01’ 32”	21.15	Indus
2023 Dec 17	21h 19m 23s	-55° 53’ 52”	21.16	Indus