Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on 22 February 2023 and it was also independently observed few weeks before in January 2023 at the Tsuchinshan Chinese Observatory (Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences). The official designation includes both Tsuchinshan and ATLAS due to these independent observations. Its retrograde orbit, meaning it moves in the opposite direction to most major solar system objects, is parabolic-like with a perihelion distance of 0.39 astronomical units (AU). Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is notable and actively observed because, based on current estimations, it is could become bright enough to be visible to the naked eye during its perihelion passage between September and October 2024.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of 279,255,042 kilometers from Earth.
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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/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 6 inches (150mm) or more.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
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Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Earth is currently 279,255,042 kilometers, equivalent to 1.866705 Astronomical Units. Light takes 15 minutes and 31.4946 seconds to travel from Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-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.
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/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) to Earth happens on Sun Oct 13 2024 at a distance of 0.476126 Astronomical Units, or 71,227,371 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-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.
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) at epoch 21 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459997.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99979084 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 139.08799014° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.39045740 AU 58,411,595 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3,733.23302205 AU 558,483,712,045 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
1,866.81173972 AU 279,271,061,820 km |
| Orbital period | period |
80,660.1429 years 29,461,117.2080 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Sep-28 11:34:04 2,460,581.9820 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 308.58254303089° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 21.580336863956° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99285792459° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00001222°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-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!
View Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-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/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 18 | 13h 57m 20s | -02° 45’ 45” | 11.95 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 13h 54m 53s | -02° 37’ 04” | 11.91 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 13h 52m 24s | -02° 28’ 18” | 11.88 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 13h 49m 54s | -02° 19’ 31” | 11.85 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 13h 47m 22s | -02° 10’ 40” | 11.82 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 13h 44m 48s | -02° 01’ 46” | 11.79 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 13h 42m 12s | -01° 52’ 51” | 11.76 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 13h 39m 36s | -01° 43’ 55” | 11.73 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 13h 36m 57s | -01° 34’ 59” | 11.70 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 13h 34m 18s | -01° 26’ 03” | 11.68 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 13h 31m 36s | -01° 17’ 07” | 11.65 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 13h 28m 54s | -01° 08’ 12” | 11.62 | Virgo |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 13h 26m 12s | -00° 59’ 18” | 11.59 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 01 | 13h 23m 27s | -00° 50’ 29” | 11.57 | Virgo |