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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:46  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:07 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS)

Altitude: -9.0°   Azimuth: 229.6°   Direction: South-West

Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Columba. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) is 06h 00m 53s and the Declination is -31° 22’ 18” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) is 15.38 (JPL).

06h 00m 53s
-31° 22’ 18”
Columba
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
15.38

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 Y1 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 121.3°
Max altitude: 7.2°
Azimuth: 238.6°
  • C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 Y1 (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 Y1 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2021 Y1 (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 Y1 (ATLAS) in Columba on June,04 2023
Map showing Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) in Columba on June, 04 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) in Columba on June, 04 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS)
RA: 06h 00m 53s
Dec: -31° 22’ 18”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 367,274,737 kilometers, equivalent to 2.455080 Astronomical Units. Light takes 20 minutes and 25.0967 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

367,274,737
2.455080
20 minutes and 25.0967 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 Y1 (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 Y1 (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 Y1 (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 Y1 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Tue Dec 13 2022 at a distance of 1.688418 Astronomical Units, or 252,583,802 kilometers:

Tue Dec 13 2022
252,583,802
1.688418

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

Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 Y1 (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 Y1 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) at epoch 30 September 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459853.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00081952
Orbit inclination i 77.18706556°
Perihelion distance q 2.03252901 AU
304,062,012 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Apr-30 16:44:05
2,460,065.1973 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 245.8097772486°
Longitude of the ascending node node 244.76964317487°
Mean anomaly M -0.001689274596584°
Mean motion n 0.00000798°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 Y1 (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 Y1 (ATLAS)
View Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 Y1 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 Y1 (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 Y1 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 28 05h 41m 17s -29° 35’ 27” 15.37 Columba
2023 May 29 05h 43m 45s -29° 48’ 56” 15.37 Columba
2023 May 30 05h 46m 14s -30° 02’ 30” 15.37 Columba
2023 May 31 05h 48m 43s -30° 16’ 13” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 01 05h 51m 15s -30° 30’ 01” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 02 05h 53m 48s -30° 43’ 54” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 03 05h 56m 24s -30° 57’ 56” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 04 05h 58m 59s -31° 12’ 02” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 05 06h 01m 37s -31° 26’ 14” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 06 06h 04m 17s -31° 40’ 32” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 07 06h 06m 57s -31° 54’ 56” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 08 06h 09m 39s -32° 09’ 24” 15.38 Columba
2023 Jun 09 06h 12m 24s -32° 23’ 57” 15.38 Canis Majoris
2023 Jun 10 06h 15m 09s -32° 38’ 35” 15.38 Canis Majoris