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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 5:39  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 20:14
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)

Altitude: 39.3°   Azimuth: 161.5°   Direction: South-South-East

Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 849,945,481 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in Pisces on April,27 2024
Map showing Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in Pisces on April, 27 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is 23h 28m 56s and the Declination is +02° 11’ 11” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is 17.92 (JPL).

23h 28m 56s
+02° 11’ 11”
Pisces
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
17.92

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

Azimuth: 87.8°
Max altitude: 40.7°
Azimuth: 272.2°
  • P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 39° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, P/2023 M4 (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/2023 M4 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in Pisces on April, 27 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

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.

P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)
RA: 23h 28m 56s
Dec: +02° 11’ 11”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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 849,945,481 kilometers, equivalent to 5.681535 Astronomical Units. Light takes 47 minutes and 15.1130 seconds to travel from Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.

849,945,481
5.681535
47 minutes and 15.1130 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet P/2023 M4 (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/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:

Tue Jun 13 2084
420,055,594
2.807898

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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) as a function of time

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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)
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
2024 Apr 20 23h 23m 34s +01° 29’ 06” 17.93 Pisces
2024 Apr 21 23h 24m 19s +01° 34’ 54” 17.93 Pisces
2024 Apr 22 23h 25m 04s +01° 40’ 41” 17.93 Pisces
2024 Apr 23 23h 25m 47s +01° 46’ 27” 17.93 Pisces
2024 Apr 24 23h 26m 31s +01° 52’ 10” 17.93 Pisces
2024 Apr 25 23h 27m 15s +01° 57’ 55” 17.92 Pisces
2024 Apr 26 23h 27m 59s +02° 03’ 37” 17.92 Pisces
2024 Apr 27 23h 28m 41s +02° 09’ 17” 17.92 Pisces
2024 Apr 28 23h 29m 23s +02° 14’ 57” 17.92 Pisces
2024 Apr 29 23h 30m 06s +02° 20’ 35” 17.92 Pisces
2024 Apr 30 23h 30m 48s +02° 26’ 12” 17.91 Pisces
2024 May 01 23h 31m 29s +02° 31’ 47” 17.91 Pisces
2024 May 02 23h 32m 12s +02° 37’ 22” 17.91 Pisces
2024 May 03 23h 32m 53s +02° 42’ 55” 17.90 Pisces