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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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Comets » 

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)

Altitude: -12.4°   Azimuth: 323.0°   Direction: North-West

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Taurus, at a distance of 467,600,491 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in Taurus on March,19 2024
Map showing Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in Taurus on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is 04h 51m 16s and the Declination is +18° 30’ 08” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is 22.43 (JPL).

04h 51m 16s
+18° 30’ 08”
Taurus
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
22.43

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 edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 71.5°
Max altitude: 57.0°
Azimuth: 288.5°
  • P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, P/2017 S5 (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.

Additional Resources

Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) in Taurus on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

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: 04h 51m 16s
Dec: +18° 30’ 08”
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 467,600,491 kilometers, equivalent to 3.125716 Astronomical Units. Light takes 25 minutes and 59.7473 seconds to travel from Comet P/2017 S5 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

467,600,491
3.125716
25 minutes and 59.7473 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
2024 Mar 12 04h 43m 48s +18° 24’ 24” 22.29 Taurus
2024 Mar 13 04h 44m 48s +18° 25’ 13” 22.31 Taurus
2024 Mar 14 04h 45m 51s +18° 26’ 00” 22.33 Taurus
2024 Mar 15 04h 46m 54s +18° 26’ 49” 22.35 Taurus
2024 Mar 16 04h 47m 57s +18° 27’ 38” 22.37 Taurus
2024 Mar 17 04h 49m 00s +18° 28’ 27” 22.39 Taurus
2024 Mar 18 04h 50m 04s +18° 29’ 17” 22.41 Taurus
2024 Mar 19 04h 51m 10s +18° 30’ 06” 22.43 Taurus
2024 Mar 20 04h 52m 15s +18° 30’ 55” 22.45 Taurus
2024 Mar 21 04h 53m 21s +18° 31’ 44” 22.47 Taurus
2024 Mar 22 04h 54m 29s +18° 32’ 31” 22.49 Taurus
2024 Mar 23 04h 55m 36s +18° 33’ 20” 22.51 Taurus
2024 Mar 24 04h 56m 44s +18° 34’ 08” 22.53 Taurus
2024 Mar 25 04h 57m 51s +18° 34’ 54” 22.55 Taurus