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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:48  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:05 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS)

Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Hercules.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) is 17h 19m 02s and the Declination is +23° 01’ 27” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) is 15.00 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 16.1 (COBS).

17h 19m 02s
+23° 01’ 27”
Hercules
16.1
0.9'
n/a
2023-05-28
15.00

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/2022 L2 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 67.0°
Max altitude: 61.5°
Azimuth: 293.0°
  • C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the West direction at an altitude of 35° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • 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/2022 L2 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2022 L2 (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/2022 L2 (ATLAS) in Hercules on June,02 2023
Map showing Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) in Hercules on June, 02 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2022 L2 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) in Hercules on June, 02 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2022 L2 (ATLAS)
RA: 17h 19m 02s
Dec: +23° 01’ 27”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 473,035,867 kilometers, equivalent to 3.162049 Astronomical Units. Light takes 26 minutes and 17.8778 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

473,035,867
3.162049
26 minutes and 17.8778 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 L2 (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/2022 L2 (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/2022 L2 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Fri Apr 5 2024 at a distance of 1.811538 Astronomical Units, or 271,002,177 kilometers:

Fri Apr 5 2024
271,002,177
1.811538

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

Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 L2 (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/2022 L2 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) at epoch 07 August 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459799.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00099241
Orbit inclination i 129.31204716°
Perihelion distance q 2.69137057 AU
402,623,307 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2024-Mar-12 10:11:52
2,460,381.9249 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 199.97530536925°
Longitude of the ascending node node 39.247476456006°
Mean anomaly M -0.0040645979433483°
Mean motion n 0.00000698°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 L2 (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/2022 L2 (ATLAS)
View Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2022 L2 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 L2 (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/2022 L2 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 26 17h 32m 44s +23° 02’ 12” 15.10 Hercules
2023 May 27 17h 30m 54s +23° 03’ 00” 15.09 Hercules
2023 May 28 17h 29m 02s +23° 03’ 30” 15.07 Hercules
2023 May 29 17h 27m 09s +23° 03’ 44” 15.06 Hercules
2023 May 30 17h 25m 14s +23° 03’ 42” 15.04 Hercules
2023 May 31 17h 23m 18s +23° 03’ 20” 15.03 Hercules
2023 Jun 01 17h 21m 23s +23° 02’ 40” 15.01 Hercules
2023 Jun 02 17h 19m 26s +23° 01’ 42” 15.00 Hercules
2023 Jun 03 17h 17m 27s +23° 00’ 25” 14.98 Hercules
2023 Jun 04 17h 15m 29s +22° 58’ 50” 14.97 Hercules
2023 Jun 05 17h 13m 28s +22° 56’ 56” 14.96 Hercules
2023 Jun 06 17h 11m 29s +22° 54’ 41” 14.94 Hercules
2023 Jun 07 17h 09m 28s +22° 52’ 08” 14.93 Hercules
2023 Jun 08 17h 07m 26s +22° 49’ 14” 14.92 Hercules