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🌎  Observing from: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
🌅 Sunrise: 5:59  ☀️ Transit: 12:05  🌅 Sunset: 18:13

Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF)

Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) is currently in the constellation of Gemini. The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) is 07h 51m 15s and the Declination is +19° 33’ 11” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) is 35.44 (JPL).

07h 51m 15s
+19° 33’ 11”
Gemini
35.44

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 70.4°
Max altitude: 58.1°
Azimuth: 289.6°
  • P/2021 N1 (ZTF) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
  • Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 48° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, P/2021 N1 (ZTF) 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 P/2021 N1 (ZTF) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) 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/2021 N1 (ZTF) in Gemini on March, 22 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Map showing Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) in Gemini on March, 22 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/2021 N1 (ZTF) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

P/2021 N1 (ZTF)
RA: 07h 51m 15s
Dec: +19° 33’ 11”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) from Earth is currently 622,651,035 kilometers, equivalent to 4.162165 Astronomical Units. Light takes 34 minutes and 36.9403 seconds to travel from Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) and arrive to us.

622,651,035
4.162165
34 minutes and 36.9403 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) 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/2021 N1 (ZTF) 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/2021 N1 (ZTF) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) to Earth happens on Tue Aug 29 2073 at a distance of 0.122518 Astronomical Units, or 18,328,381 kilometers:

Tue Aug 29 2073
18,328,381
0.122518

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

Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) Brightness

The current visual magnitude of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) is 35.44.

35.44
-
-

The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF), 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/2021 N1 (ZTF) as a function of time

Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) at epoch 06 July 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459402.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.67679260
Orbit inclination i 11.50560974°
Perihelion distance q 0.96214666 AU
143,935,092 km
Aphelion distance Q 4.99159485 AU
746,731,962 km
Semi-major axis a 2.97687075 AU
445,333,527 km
Orbital period period 5.1363 years
1,876.0240 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2021-Jun-06 13:17:58
2,459,372.0541 JD
Next perihelion transit 2026-Jul-26 13:52
2,461,248.0782 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 21.189770473752°
Longitude of the ascending node node 301.15844868871°
Mean anomaly M 5.842412895812°
Mean motion n 0.19189520°/day

Visualization of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) 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/2021 N1 (ZTF)
View Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet P/2021 N1 (ZTF) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Mar 15 07h 52m 57s +19° 32’ 39” 35.33 Gemini
2023 Mar 16 07h 52m 41s +19° 32’ 52” 35.35 Gemini
2023 Mar 17 07h 52m 24s +19° 33’ 02” 35.36 Gemini
2023 Mar 18 07h 52m 10s +19° 33’ 10” 35.37 Gemini
2023 Mar 19 07h 51m 57s +19° 33’ 15” 35.39 Gemini
2023 Mar 20 07h 51m 46s +19° 33’ 17” 35.40 Gemini
2023 Mar 21 07h 51m 34s +19° 33’ 17” 35.41 Gemini
2023 Mar 22 07h 51m 24s +19° 33’ 16” 35.43 Gemini
2023 Mar 23 07h 51m 15s +19° 33’ 11” 35.44 Gemini
2023 Mar 24 07h 51m 06s +19° 33’ 06” 35.45 Gemini
2023 Mar 25 07h 50m 59s +19° 32’ 57” 35.47 Gemini
2023 Mar 26 07h 50m 53s +19° 32’ 45” 35.48 Gemini
2023 Mar 27 07h 50m 48s +19° 32’ 31” 35.50 Gemini
2023 Mar 28 07h 50m 44s +19° 32’ 17” 35.51 Gemini