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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:49  
clear_day Transit: 12:50  
SunsetSet: 18:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)

Altitude: -0.6°   Azimuth: 108.6°   Direction: East-South-East

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 edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is 16.87 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 15.8 (COBS).

21h 07m 32s
-11° 55’ 50”
Aquarius
15.8
0.2'
n/a
2023-09-22
16.87

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: 101.9°
Max altitude: 26.6°
Azimuth: 258.1°
  • P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • 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.

Available Resources

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.

Finder chart of P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in Aquarius on September,25 2023
Map showing Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in Aquarius on September, 25 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of P/2023 M4 (ATLAS)
Map showing Comet P/2023 M4 (ATLAS) in Aquarius on September, 25 2023
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: 21h 07m 32s
Dec: -11° 55’ 50”
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 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.

569,079,449
3.804061
31 minutes and 38.2447 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
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