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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:45  
clear_day Transit: 12:57  
SunsetSet: 21:09 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS)

Altitude: -36.4°   Azimuth: 32.8°   Direction: North-North-East

Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Virgo. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) is 13h 09m 45s and the Declination is -02° 25’ 49” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) is 19.74 (JPL).

13h 09m 45s
-02° 25’ 49”
Virgo
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
19.74

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 B2 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 92.4°
Max altitude: 36.2°
Azimuth: 267.5°
  • C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2023 B2 (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/2023 B2 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2023 B2 (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/2023 B2 (ATLAS) in Virgo on June,06 2023
Map showing Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) in Virgo on June, 06 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2023 B2 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) in Virgo on June, 06 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2023 B2 (ATLAS)
RA: 13h 09m 45s
Dec: -02° 25’ 49”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 202,317,978 kilometers, equivalent to 1.352412 Astronomical Units. Light takes 11 minutes and 14.8601 seconds to travel from Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

202,317,978
1.352412
11 minutes and 14.8601 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 B2 (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/2023 B2 (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/2023 B2 (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 B2 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Thu Apr 13 2023 at a distance of 0.865090 Astronomical Units, or 129,415,580 kilometers:

Thu Apr 13 2023
129,415,580
0.865090

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

Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 B2 (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/2023 B2 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) at epoch 22 January 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459967.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99641655
Orbit inclination i 40.76828502°
Perihelion distance q 1.74276204 AU
260,713,491 km
Aphelion distance Q 970.92869255 AU
145,248,865,298 km
Semi-major axis a 486.33572729 AU
72,754,789,394 km
Orbital period period 10,725.3745 years
3,917,443.0294 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Mar-10 12:26:22
2,460,014.0183 JD
Next perihelion transit 12748-Oct-13 13:08
6,377,457.0477 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 317.42277332353°
Longitude of the ascending node node 218.10790322836°
Mean anomaly M 359.99572512135°
Mean motion n 0.00009190°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2023 B2 (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/2023 B2 (ATLAS)
View Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2023 B2 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 B2 (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 B2 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 30 13h 00m 34s -04° 54’ 10” 19.22 Virgo
2023 May 31 13h 01m 49s -04° 31’ 53” 19.29 Virgo
2023 Jun 01 13h 03m 02s -04° 10’ 18” 19.36 Virgo
2023 Jun 02 13h 04m 15s -03° 49’ 28” 19.43 Virgo
2023 Jun 03 13h 05m 30s -03° 29’ 21” 19.50 Virgo
2023 Jun 04 13h 06m 45s -03° 09’ 55” 19.57 Virgo
2023 Jun 05 13h 07m 59s -02° 51’ 09” 19.64 Virgo
2023 Jun 06 13h 09m 14s -02° 33’ 02” 19.71 Virgo
2023 Jun 07 13h 10m 28s -02° 15’ 33” 19.78 Virgo
2023 Jun 08 13h 11m 44s -01° 58’ 44” 19.85 Virgo
2023 Jun 09 13h 13m 00s -01° 42’ 30” 19.92 Virgo
2023 Jun 10 13h 14m 15s -01° 26’ 53” 19.99 Virgo
2023 Jun 11 13h 15m 30s -01° 11’ 52” 20.06 Virgo
2023 Jun 12 13h 16m 46s -00° 57’ 24” 20.13 Virgo