Comets»
Below the horizon.Rise:9:04|Tran:15:02|Set:21:00
Alt: -25.28°Az: 53.47°Direction: North-East
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is in the constellation of Leo,at a distance of
Map showing Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in Leo on August, 04 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on 22 February 2023 and it was also independently observed few weeks before in January 2023 at the Tsuchinshan Chinese Observatory (Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences). The official designation includes both Tsuchinshan and ATLAS due to these independent observations.Its retrograde orbit, meaning it moves in the opposite direction to most major solar system objects, is parabolic-like with a perihelion distance of 0.39 astronomical units (AU).Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is notable and actively observed because, based on current estimations, it is could become bright enough to be visible to the naked eye during its perihelion passage between September and October 2024.
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 Magnitudecomes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might beinaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictablebehavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as adirectional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet ObservationDatabase contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table toreport recent comet observations.
Today's rise,transit and set times ofComet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) fromGreenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) isbelow the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is visible with the help of a binocular with a 60-70mm aperture or a small telescope.
- 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.
Sky map showing Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in Leo on August, 04 2024.Field of view: 10x6 degrees. View in interactive sky chart
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is right now.Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
RA: 10h 55m 56s
Dec: +00° 11’ 31”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS).Field of view: 60x40 arcmins. View in deep sky object tracker
Also check out Where is Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)?,a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
The distance of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-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 C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-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 C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in theLive Position and Data Tracker.
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099,the closest approach ofComet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) to Earth happens on Sun Oct 13 2024 at a distance of 0.476126 Astronomical Units, or71,227,371 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computedwith a sampling interval of 1 day.
The following chart is the predicted light curve(visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS),according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuraciesfor objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepanciesbetween the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Chart of the magnitude of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) as a function of time
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)at epoch17 October 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460235.5).Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00015108 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 139.11961923° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.39146947 AU 58,562,999 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Sep-27 17:18:36 2,460,581.2213 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 308.48269677916° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 21.556440041516° |
| Mean anomaly | M | -0.0025832899218413° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000747°/day |
Orbit Diagram of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)
View Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval.Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Jul 28 | 11h 00m 13s | +00° 46’ 42” | 9.42 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 29 | 10h 59m 46s | +00° 41’ 04” | 9.37 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 30 | 10h 59m 19s | +00° 35’ 18” | 9.32 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 31 | 10h 58m 54s | +00° 29’ 26” | 9.28 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 01 | 10h 58m 28s | +00° 23’ 28” | 9.23 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 02 | 10h 58m 04s | +00° 17’ 25” | 9.18 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 03 | 10h 57m 40s | +00° 11’ 15” | 9.13 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 04 | 10h 57m 16s | +00° 04’ 59” | 9.07 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 05 | 10h 56m 53s | -00° 01’ 22” | 9.02 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 06 | 10h 56m 30s | -00° 07’ 50” | 8.96 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 07 | 10h 56m 08s | -00° 14’ 23” | 8.91 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 08 | 10h 55m 46s | -00° 21’ 03” | 8.85 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 09 | 10h 55m 24s | -00° 27’ 48” | 8.79 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 10 | 10h 55m 02s | -00° 34’ 40” | 8.73 | Leo |
Compute the position of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)for any date and time between 1 January 2000and 31 December 2099and display the results on an interactive star map.
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Earth?)
- When does Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed informationabout Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3dvisualization showing the orbit of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.
