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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:49  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
wb_twilight Astronomical TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS)

Altitude: 72.0°   Azimuth: 198.2°   Direction: South-South-West

Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Leo Minor.

The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) is 10h 35m 59s and the Declination is +34° 07’ 02” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) is 20.19 (JPL).

10h 35m 59s
+34° 07’ 02”
Leo Minor
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
20.19

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/2022 L3 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 55.8°
Max altitude: 72.6°
Azimuth: 304.1°
  • P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 72° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, P/2022 L3 (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 P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet P/2022 L3 (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 P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) in Leo Minor on December,07 2023
Map showing Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) in Leo Minor on December, 07 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of P/2022 L3 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) in Leo Minor on December, 07 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

P/2022 L3 (ATLAS)
RA: 10h 35m 59s
Dec: +34° 07’ 02”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 544,129,813 kilometers, equivalent to 3.637283 Astronomical Units. Light takes 30 minutes and 15.0217 seconds to travel from Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

544,129,813
3.637283
30 minutes and 15.0217 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet P/2022 L3 (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/2022 L3 (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/2022 L3 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Tue Nov 1 2022 at a distance of 1.432211 Astronomical Units, or 214,255,698 kilometers:

Tue Nov 1 2022
214,255,698
1.432211

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

Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet P/2022 L3 (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/2022 L3 (ATLAS) as a function of time

Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) at epoch 07 October 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459860.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.62825530
Orbit inclination i 21.54204920°
Perihelion distance q 2.41985116 AU
362,004,581 km
Aphelion distance Q 10.59903590 AU
1,585,593,206 km
Semi-major axis a 6.50944353 AU
973,798,894 km
Orbital period period 16.6083 years
6,066.1651 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2022-Oct-29 23:12:12
2,459,882.4668 JD
Next perihelion transit 2039-Jun-09 03:09
2,465,948.6319 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 10.331192531693°
Longitude of the ascending node node 29.804548330891°
Mean anomaly M 358.69636692427°
Mean motion n 0.05934557°/day

Visualization of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet P/2022 L3 (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/2022 L3 (ATLAS)
View Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet P/2022 L3 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet P/2022 L3 (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/2022 L3 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 30 10h 33m 36s +33° 43’ 14” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 01 10h 33m 59s +33° 46’ 14” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 02 10h 34m 22s +33° 49’ 18” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 03 10h 34m 42s +33° 52’ 28” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 04 10h 35m 03s +33° 55’ 45” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 05 10h 35m 21s +33° 59’ 07” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 06 10h 35m 39s +34° 02’ 35” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 07 10h 35m 56s +34° 06’ 08” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 08 10h 36m 11s +34° 09’ 47” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 09 10h 36m 24s +34° 13’ 32” 20.19 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 10 10h 36m 38s +34° 17’ 23” 20.20 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 11 10h 36m 50s +34° 21’ 19” 20.20 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 12 10h 37m 00s +34° 25’ 20” 20.20 Leo Minor
2023 Dec 13 10h 37m 09s +34° 29’ 26” 20.20 Leo Minor