Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS)
Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) is currently in the constellation of Aries, at a distance of 1,162,620,820 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 Y2 (ATLAS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the South direction at an altitude of 50° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2020 Y2 (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/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) from Earth is currently 1,162,620,820 kilometers, equivalent to 7.771640 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 4 minutes and 38.0856 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 Y2 (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/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) to Earth happens on Sun Mar 20 2022 at a distance of 2.919558 Astronomical Units, or 436,759,709 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 Y2 (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/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) at epoch 26 December 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459575.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99730335 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 101.29636690° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.13249980 AU 468,615,302 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2,320.12034740 AU 347,085,064,435 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
1,161.62642360 AU 173,776,839,868 km |
| Orbital period | period |
39,592.0442 years 14,460,994.1512 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Jun-17 16:09:36 2,459,748.1733 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 41615-Apr-26 19:47 16,920,742.3246 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 266.09925624766° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 26.511084345723° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99570137424° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00002489°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 Y2 (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/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 Y2 (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/2020 Y2 (ATLAS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 01h 44m 18s | +11° 19’ 01” | 18.90 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 02 | 01h 44m 40s | +11° 24’ 02” | 18.91 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 03 | 01h 45m 02s | +11° 29’ 02” | 18.91 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 04 | 01h 45m 24s | +11° 34’ 00” | 18.91 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 05 | 01h 45m 44s | +11° 38’ 58” | 18.91 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 06 | 01h 46m 05s | +11° 43’ 55” | 18.92 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 07 | 01h 46m 27s | +11° 48’ 52” | 18.92 | Pisces |
| 2024 May 08 | 01h 46m 47s | +11° 53’ 48” | 18.92 | Aries |
| 2024 May 09 | 01h 47m 08s | +11° 58’ 41” | 18.92 | Aries |
| 2024 May 10 | 01h 47m 30s | +12° 03’ 34” | 18.93 | Aries |
| 2024 May 11 | 01h 47m 49s | +12° 08’ 26” | 18.93 | Aries |
| 2024 May 12 | 01h 48m 10s | +12° 13’ 18” | 18.93 | Aries |
| 2024 May 13 | 01h 48m 29s | +12° 18’ 09” | 18.93 | Aries |
| 2024 May 14 | 01h 48m 50s | +12° 22’ 58” | 18.94 | Aries |