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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:44  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 21:11 south
wb_twilight Nautical TwilightWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS)

Altitude: -51.3°   Azimuth: 331.0°   Direction: North-North-West

Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Hydra. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) is 08h 41m 49s and the Declination is -15° 38’ 16” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) is 23.50 (JPL).

08h 41m 49s
-15° 38’ 16”
Hydra
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
23.50

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 U2 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 105.7°
Max altitude: 22.8°
Azimuth: 254.2°
  • C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2022 U2 (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 U2 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2022 U2 (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 U2 (ATLAS) in Hydra on June,08 2023
Map showing Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) in Hydra on June, 08 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2022 U2 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) in Hydra on June, 08 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2022 U2 (ATLAS)
RA: 08h 41m 49s
Dec: -15° 38’ 16”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 393,364,425 kilometers, equivalent to 2.629479 Astronomical Units. Light takes 21 minutes and 52.1225 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

393,364,425
2.629479
21 minutes and 52.1225 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 U2 (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 U2 (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 U2 (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 U2 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Sun Jan 29 2023 at a distance of 0.563646 Astronomical Units, or 84,320,286 kilometers:

Sun Jan 29 2023
84,320,286
0.563646

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

Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 U2 (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 U2 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) at epoch 09 December 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459923.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.98621266
Orbit inclination i 48.25109815°
Perihelion distance q 1.32804348 AU
198,672,477 km
Aphelion distance Q 191.31879723 AU
28,620,884,748 km
Semi-major axis a 96.32342036 AU
14,409,778,613 km
Orbital period period 945.3792 years
345,299.7550 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Jan-14 05:17:27
2,459,958.7205 JD
Next perihelion transit 2968-Jun-07 23:24
2,805,258.4755 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 147.90867776062°
Longitude of the ascending node node 304.47522390157°
Mean anomaly M 359.96328011985°
Mean motion n 0.00104257°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 U2 (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 U2 (ATLAS)
View Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 U2 (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 U2 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Jun 01 08h 30m 43s -14° 29’ 04” 23.11 Hydra
2023 Jun 02 08h 32m 17s -14° 38’ 49” 23.16 Hydra
2023 Jun 03 08h 33m 51s -14° 48’ 34” 23.22 Hydra
2023 Jun 04 08h 35m 26s -14° 58’ 19” 23.27 Hydra
2023 Jun 05 08h 37m 00s -15° 08’ 04” 23.33 Hydra
2023 Jun 06 08h 38m 33s -15° 17’ 48” 23.38 Hydra
2023 Jun 07 08h 40m 06s -15° 27’ 33” 23.44 Hydra
2023 Jun 08 08h 41m 39s -15° 37’ 17” 23.49 Hydra
2023 Jun 09 08h 43m 14s -15° 47’ 00” 23.55 Hydra
2023 Jun 10 08h 44m 47s -15° 56’ 44” 23.60 Hydra
2023 Jun 11 08h 46m 19s -16° 06’ 29” 23.66 Hydra
2023 Jun 12 08h 47m 53s -16° 16’ 13” 23.71 Hydra
2023 Jun 13 08h 49m 26s -16° 25’ 58” 23.76 Hydra
2023 Jun 14 08h 50m 58s -16° 35’ 44” 23.81 Hydra