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🌎  Observing from: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
🌅 Sunrise: 6:34  ☀️ Transit: 13:02  🌅 Sunset: 19:31

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Pisces. The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is 23h 55m 40s and the Declination is +08° 08’ 48” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is 19.67 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is n/a (COBS).

23h 55m 40s
+08° 08’ 48”
Pisces
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
19.67

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 P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 81.9°
Max altitude: 46.7°
Azimuth: 278.2°
  • P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
  • Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 45° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is .
  • 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 P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet P/2017 S5 (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.

Map showing Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in Pisces on April, 02 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Map showing Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in Pisces on April, 02 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
 = visible to the naked eye
 = binocular, brighter than 10th magnitude
= current altitude ≥ 30°   = current altitude < 30°   = below the horizon
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)
RA: 23h 55m 40s
Dec: +08° 08’ 48”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 469,223,610 kilometers, equivalent to 3.136566 Astronomical Units. Light takes 26 minutes and 5.1615 seconds to travel from Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

469,223,610
3.136566
26 minutes and 5.1615 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet P/2017 S5 (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 P/2017 S5 (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 P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Fri Sep 15 2045 at a distance of 1.194405 Astronomical Units, or 178,680,418 kilometers:

Fri Sep 15 2045
178,680,418
1.194405

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

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet P/2017 S5 (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 P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) at epoch 22 November 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458080.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.31304498
Orbit inclination i 11.84937248°
Perihelion distance q 2.17822414 AU
325,857,693 km
Aphelion distance Q 4.16345496 AU
622,843,997 km
Semi-major axis a 3.17083955 AU
474,350,845 km
Orbital period period 5.6464 years
2,062.3379 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2017-Jul-28 00:34:23
2,457,962.5239 JD
Next perihelion transit 2023-Mar-21 08:40
2,460,024.8618 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 99.944336594401°
Longitude of the ascending node node 252.39100053319°
Mean anomaly M 20.593813851164°
Mean motion n 0.17455917°/day

Visualization of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet P/2017 S5 (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 P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)
View Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Mar 26 23h 40m 10s +06° 32’ 08” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Mar 27 23h 42m 14s +06° 45’ 02” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Mar 28 23h 44m 17s +06° 57’ 56” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Mar 29 23h 46m 22s +07° 10’ 49” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Mar 30 23h 48m 25s +07° 23’ 41” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Mar 31 23h 50m 29s +07° 36’ 33” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 01 23h 52m 32s +07° 49’ 24” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 02 23h 54m 37s +08° 02’ 16” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 03 23h 56m 40s +08° 15’ 06” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 04 23h 58m 44s +08° 27’ 56” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 05 00h 00m 47s +08° 40’ 44” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 06 00h 02m 51s +08° 53’ 30” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 07 00h 04m 54s +09° 06’ 18” 19.67 Pisces
2023 Apr 08 00h 06m 59s +09° 19’ 03” 19.67 Pisces