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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:59  
clear_day Transit: 12:48  
SunsetSet: 18:36 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok)

Altitude: 49.3°   Azimuth: 121.5°   Direction: East-South-East

Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) is currently in the constellation of Serpens. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) is 15h 46m 25s and the Declination is +22° 24’ 38” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) is 17.97 (JPL).

15h 46m 25s
+22° 24’ 38”
Serpens
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
17.97

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 U4 (Bok) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 67.5°
Max altitude: 60.9°
Azimuth: 292.3°
  • C/2022 U4 (Bok) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 49° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2022 U4 (Bok) 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 U4 (Bok) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) 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 U4 (Bok) in Serpens on October,01 2023
Map showing Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) in Serpens on October, 01 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2022 U4 (Bok)
Map showing Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) in Serpens on October, 01 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2022 U4 (Bok)
RA: 15h 46m 25s
Dec: +22° 24’ 38”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) from Earth is currently 512,170,501 kilometers, equivalent to 3.423648 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 28.4169 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) and arrive to us.

512,170,501
3.423648
28 minutes and 28.4169 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) 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 U4 (Bok) 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 U4 (Bok) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) to Earth happens on Fri Mar 24 2023 at a distance of 2.515961 Astronomical Units, or 376,382,421 kilometers:

Fri Mar 24 2023
376,382,421
2.515961

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

Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok), 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 U4 (Bok) as a function of time

Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) at epoch 28 October 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459881.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99923972
Orbit inclination i 52.03927684°
Perihelion distance q 2.89823704 AU
433,570,091 km
Aphelion distance Q 7,621.19195984 AU
1,140,114,091,674 km
Semi-major axis a 3,812.04509844 AU
570,273,830,883 km
Orbital period period 235,366.8240 years
85,967,732.4787 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Aug-03 16:39:12
2,460,160.1939 JD
Next perihelion transit 237395-Mar-31 04:08
88,427,892.6726 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 89.011065570489°
Longitude of the ascending node node 132.93315095813°
Mean anomaly M 359.99883293651°
Mean motion n 0.00000419°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) 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 U4 (Bok)
View Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 U4 (Bok) 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 U4 (Bok) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 24 15h 33m 26s +24° 26’ 05” 17.90 Serpens
2023 Sep 25 15h 35m 09s +24° 09’ 42” 17.91 Serpens
2023 Sep 26 15h 36m 52s +23° 53’ 25” 17.92 Serpens
2023 Sep 27 15h 38m 35s +23° 37’ 10” 17.92 Serpens
2023 Sep 28 15h 40m 19s +23° 21’ 02” 17.93 Serpens
2023 Sep 29 15h 42m 02s +23° 04’ 56” 17.94 Serpens
2023 Sep 30 15h 43m 46s +22° 48’ 56” 17.95 Serpens
2023 Oct 01 15h 45m 30s +22° 33’ 01” 17.96 Serpens
2023 Oct 02 15h 47m 13s +22° 17’ 09” 17.97 Serpens
2023 Oct 03 15h 48m 57s +22° 01’ 24” 17.97 Serpens
2023 Oct 04 15h 50m 42s +21° 45’ 43” 17.98 Serpens
2023 Oct 05 15h 52m 26s +21° 30’ 07” 17.99 Serpens
2023 Oct 06 15h 54m 11s +21° 14’ 38” 18.00 Serpens
2023 Oct 07 15h 55m 54s +20° 59’ 12” 18.01 Serpens