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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:49  
clear_day Transit: 12:50  
SunsetSet: 18:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)

Altitude: -15.0°   Azimuth: 58.1°   Direction: East-North-East

Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) is currently in the constellation of Pisces. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) is 00h 38m 12s and the Declination is +06° 36’ 09” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) is 14.83 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 15.1 (COBS).

00h 38m 12s
+06° 36’ 09”
Pisces
15.1
0.4'
10.5'
2023-09-22
14.83

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 X1 (Maury-Attard) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 83.4°
Max altitude: 45.2°
Azimuth: 276.6°
  • C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) 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 X1 (Maury-Attard) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) 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 X1 (Maury-Attard) in Pisces on September,25 2023
Map showing Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) in Pisces on September, 25 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)
Map showing Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) in Pisces on September, 25 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)
RA: 00h 38m 12s
Dec: +06° 36’ 09”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) from Earth is currently 365,182,355 kilometers, equivalent to 2.441093 Astronomical Units. Light takes 20 minutes and 18.1172 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) and arrive to us.

365,182,355
2.441093
20 minutes and 18.1172 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) 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 X1 (Maury-Attard) 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 X1 (Maury-Attard) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) to Earth happens on Mon Sep 25 2023 at a distance of 2.441025 Astronomical Units, or 365,172,181 kilometers:

Mon Sep 25 2023
365,172,181
2.441025

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

Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard), 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 X1 (Maury-Attard) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) at epoch 18 November 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459902.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99995644
Orbit inclination i 140.12134640°
Perihelion distance q 3.23370264 AU
483,755,030 km
Aphelion distance Q 148,458.46721439 AU
22,209,070,627,196 km
Semi-major axis a 74,230.85045851 AU
11,104,777,191,113 km
Orbital period period 20,224,828.9211 years
7,387,118,763.4397 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-May-27 11:25:04
2,460,091.9757 JD
Next perihelion transit 2023-May-27 11:25
7,389,578,855.4154 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 334.62553622058°
Longitude of the ascending node node 10.58474218893°
Mean anomaly M 359.99999076619°
Mean motion n 0.00000005°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) 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 X1 (Maury-Attard)
View Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) 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 X1 (Maury-Attard) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 18 00h 58m 14s +07° 05’ 08” 14.81 Pisces
2023 Sep 19 00h 55m 40s +07° 01’ 45” 14.81 Pisces
2023 Sep 20 00h 53m 04s +06° 58’ 14” 14.81 Pisces
2023 Sep 21 00h 50m 29s +06° 54’ 36” 14.81 Pisces
2023 Sep 22 00h 47m 52s +06° 50’ 51” 14.82 Pisces
2023 Sep 23 00h 45m 14s +06° 46’ 59” 14.82 Pisces
2023 Sep 24 00h 42m 36s +06° 43’ 01” 14.82 Pisces
2023 Sep 25 00h 39m 57s +06° 38’ 57” 14.82 Pisces
2023 Sep 26 00h 37m 19s +06° 34’ 49” 14.83 Pisces
2023 Sep 27 00h 34m 41s +06° 30’ 33” 14.83 Pisces
2023 Sep 28 00h 32m 02s +06° 26’ 14” 14.83 Pisces
2023 Sep 29 00h 29m 23s +06° 21’ 51” 14.84 Pisces
2023 Sep 30 00h 26m 45s +06° 17’ 21” 14.84 Pisces
2023 Oct 01 00h 24m 07s +06° 12’ 50” 14.85 Pisces