Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)
Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 1,954,791,214 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/2020 S3 (Erasmus) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-East direction at an altitude of 50° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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/2020 S3 (Erasmus) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) from Earth is currently 1,954,791,214 kilometers, equivalent to 13.066972 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 48 minutes and 40.4816 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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/2020 S3 (Erasmus) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) to Earth happens on Thu Nov 19 2020 at a distance of 1.037747 Astronomical Units, or 155,244,800 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus), 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/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) at epoch 07 March 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459281.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99795507 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 19.86140734° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.39847184 AU 59,610,539 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
389.31742969 AU 58,241,058,624 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
194.85795076 AU 29,150,334,582 km |
| Orbital period | period |
2,720.1033 years 993,517.7334 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-Dec-12 16:07:40 2,459,196.1720 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 4741-Feb-09 09:43 3,452,713.9054 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 349.88556146963° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 222.99291398703° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.0309185016691° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00036235°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 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/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 00h 43m 49s | +14° 46’ 09” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 02 | 00h 44m 04s | +14° 48’ 03” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 03 | 00h 44m 21s | +14° 49’ 59” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 04 | 00h 44m 36s | +14° 51’ 52” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 05 | 00h 44m 53s | +14° 53’ 48” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 06 | 00h 45m 07s | +14° 55’ 41” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 07 | 00h 45m 24s | +14° 57’ 34” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 08 | 00h 45m 38s | +14° 59’ 27” | 23.47 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 09 | 00h 45m 54s | +15° 01’ 21” | 23.48 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 10 | 00h 46m 09s | +15° 03’ 14” | 23.48 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 11 | 00h 46m 23s | +15° 05’ 06” | 23.48 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 12 | 00h 46m 37s | +15° 06’ 56” | 23.48 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 13 | 00h 46m 53s | +15° 08’ 48” | 23.48 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 14 | 00h 47m 07s | +15° 10’ 39” | 23.48 | Pisces |