Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS)
Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of 695,176,389 kilometers from Earth.
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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 C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 40° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 695,176,389 kilometers, equivalent to 4.646967 Astronomical Units. Light takes 38 minutes and 38.8588 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 Q2 (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 C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Wed Oct 12 2022 at a distance of 1.223669 Astronomical Units, or 183,058,297 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 Q2 (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 C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) at epoch 09 October 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459862.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.94981566 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 151.48634415° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.64402859 AU 245,943,177 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
63.87556082 AU 9,555,647,907 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
32.75979470 AU 4,900,795,542 km |
| Orbital period | period |
187.5081 years 68,487.3219 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Jan-31 14:18:09 2,459,976.0959 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2210-Aug-06 22:01 2,528,463.4178 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 44.067740788231° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 352.94368359339° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.40288892547° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00525645°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 Q2 (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 C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2022 Q2 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 12h 35m 48s | +09° 07’ 54” | 23.64 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 09 | 12h 34m 54s | +09° 09’ 11” | 23.66 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 10 | 12h 34m 03s | +09° 10’ 22” | 23.67 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 11 | 12h 33m 11s | +09° 11’ 26” | 23.69 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 12 | 12h 32m 20s | +09° 12’ 24” | 23.71 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 13 | 12h 31m 31s | +09° 13’ 14” | 23.72 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 14 | 12h 30m 42s | +09° 13’ 59” | 23.74 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 15 | 12h 29m 54s | +09° 14’ 38” | 23.76 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 16 | 12h 29m 08s | +09° 15’ 10” | 23.77 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 17 | 12h 28m 22s | +09° 15’ 35” | 23.79 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 18 | 12h 27m 38s | +09° 15’ 56” | 23.80 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 19 | 12h 26m 53s | +09° 16’ 09” | 23.82 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 20 | 12h 26m 12s | +09° 16’ 18” | 23.84 | Virgo |
| 2024 May 21 | 12h 25m 30s | +09° 16’ 21” | 23.85 | Virgo |