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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:47  
clear_day Transit: 12:50  
SunsetSet: 18:52 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS)

Altitude: -34.3°   Azimuth: 80.4°   Direction: East

Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Virgo. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) is 14h 10m 18s and the Declination is -20° 49’ 47” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) is 18.51 (JPL).

14h 10m 18s
-20° 49’ 47”
Virgo
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
18.51

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 K1 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 110.8°
Max altitude: 17.8°
Azimuth: 249.3°
  • C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2023 K1 (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 K1 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2023 K1 (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 K1 (ATLAS) in Virgo on September,24 2023
Map showing Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) in Virgo on September, 24 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2023 K1 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) in Virgo on September, 24 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2023 K1 (ATLAS)
RA: 14h 10m 18s
Dec: -20° 49’ 47”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 411,263,103 kilometers, equivalent to 2.749124 Astronomical Units. Light takes 22 minutes and 51.8260 seconds to travel from Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

411,263,103
2.749124
22 minutes and 51.8260 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 K1 (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 K1 (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 K1 (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 K1 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Mon Jul 3 2023 at a distance of 1.464522 Astronomical Units, or 219,089,318 kilometers:

Mon Jul 3 2023
219,089,318
1.464522

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

Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 K1 (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 K1 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) at epoch 01 June 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460097.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.98364004
Orbit inclination i 137.98296745°
Perihelion distance q 2.03656038 AU
304,665,096 km
Aphelion distance Q 246.93234557 AU
36,940,553,178 km
Semi-major axis a 124.48445297 AU
18,622,609,137 km
Orbital period period 1,388.9317 years
507,307.2859 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Sep-08 08:10:51
2,460,195.8409 JD
Next perihelion transit 3412-Aug-24 15:02
2,967,503.1268 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 337.76539393204°
Longitude of the ascending node node 223.79948453372°
Mean anomaly M 359.93021445759°
Mean motion n 0.00070963°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2023 K1 (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 K1 (ATLAS)
View Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2023 K1 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 K1 (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 K1 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 17 14h 06m 01s -22° 37’ 41” 18.40 Hydra
2023 Sep 18 14h 06m 35s -22° 21’ 55” 18.41 Virgo
2023 Sep 19 14h 07m 09s -22° 06’ 27” 18.43 Virgo
2023 Sep 20 14h 07m 45s -21° 51’ 15” 18.44 Virgo
2023 Sep 21 14h 08m 21s -21° 36’ 21” 18.46 Virgo
2023 Sep 22 14h 08m 57s -21° 21’ 43” 18.47 Virgo
2023 Sep 23 14h 09m 32s -21° 07’ 22” 18.49 Virgo
2023 Sep 24 14h 10m 09s -20° 53’ 14” 18.50 Virgo
2023 Sep 25 14h 10m 45s -20° 39’ 23” 18.52 Virgo
2023 Sep 26 14h 11m 21s -20° 25’ 45” 18.53 Virgo
2023 Sep 27 14h 11m 57s -20° 12’ 20” 18.54 Virgo
2023 Sep 28 14h 12m 34s -19° 59’ 08” 18.56 Virgo
2023 Sep 29 14h 13m 12s -19° 46’ 09” 18.57 Virgo
2023 Sep 30 14h 13m 50s -19° 33’ 23” 18.59 Virgo