Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)
Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Aquarius. The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is 21h 07m 32s and the Declination is -11° 55’ 50” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom ). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is 16.87 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 15.8 (COBS).
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/2023 M4 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet P/2023 M4 (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.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 569,079,449 kilometers, equivalent to 3.804061 Astronomical Units. Light takes 31 minutes and 38.2447 seconds to travel from Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet P/2023 M4 (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.
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/2023 M4 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Tue Jun 13 2084 at a distance of 2.807898 Astronomical Units, or 420,055,594 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet P/2023 M4 (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.
Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) at epoch 29 June 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460125.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.27943237 |
Orbit inclination | i | 7.59250548° |
Perihelion distance | q | 3.92941954 AU 587,832,798 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
6.97703634 AU 1,043,749,783 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
5.45322794 AU 815,791,290 km |
Orbital period | period |
12.7347 years 4,651.3488 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Apr-15 02:08:21 2,459,684.5891 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2035-Jan-08 10:30 2,464,335.9379 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 320.68668189847° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 296.2958245651° |
Mean anomaly | M | 34.12513635763° |
Mean motion | n | 0.07739691°/day |
Visualization of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet P/2023 M4 (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!
View Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet P/2023 M4 (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/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 Sep 18 | 21h 09m 20s | -11° 49’ 00” | 16.80 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 19 | 21h 09m 03s | -11° 50’ 03” | 16.81 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 20 | 21h 08m 48s | -11° 51’ 02” | 16.82 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 21 | 21h 08m 32s | -11° 51’ 59” | 16.83 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 22 | 21h 08m 17s | -11° 52’ 53” | 16.83 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 23 | 21h 08m 04s | -11° 53’ 44” | 16.84 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 24 | 21h 07m 51s | -11° 54’ 33” | 16.85 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 25 | 21h 07m 40s | -11° 55’ 19” | 16.86 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 26 | 21h 07m 28s | -11° 56’ 03” | 16.87 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 27 | 21h 07m 18s | -11° 56’ 43” | 16.88 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 28 | 21h 07m 09s | -11° 57’ 20” | 16.88 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 29 | 21h 07m 01s | -11° 57’ 55” | 16.89 | Aquarius |
2023 Sep 30 | 21h 06m 53s | -11° 58’ 26” | 16.90 | Aquarius |
2023 Oct 01 | 21h 06m 47s | -11° 58’ 54” | 16.91 | Aquarius |