|
C/2017 M4 (ATLAS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 17 Jan 2019 | 14.0 | 3.234 AU | 3.954 AU | 17h20m | -13°11' | 37.8° | 10.7° | 287° |
| Nearest approach | 13 May 2019 | 13.3 | 3.418 AU | 2.467 AU | 16h00m | -40°10' | 156.6° | 6.7° | 336° |
| Today | 28 Oct 2025 | 26.1 | 17.476 AU | 17.246 AU | 06h25m | -37°42' | 101.8° | 3.2° | 297° |
C/2017 M4 (ATLAS)- 2025-10-28
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date.
Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below.
(Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)
Light curve
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS.
This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 4.8 + 5 log[∆] + 12.1 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)
Charts
The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.
The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Orbital elements
The orbital elements of C/2017 M4 (ATLAS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0000210
q (Perihelion distance) : 3.2335680
i (Inclination) : 105.63220
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 66.00130
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 167.37790
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 69.45439
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 12.14796
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458501.01520
Epoch : 2025 Oct 27
Reference : MPEC 2022-OB6
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-10-27 00:00 UT 06 25 34.0 -37 38 36 17.250 17.467 101.0 3.2 296 26.1
2025-10-28 00:00 UT 06 25 24.0 -37 40 45 17.247 17.473 101.5 3.2 297 26.1
2025-10-28 17:57 UT 06 25 16.3 -37 42 21 17.246 17.476 101.8 3.2 297 26.1
2025-10-29 00:00 UT 06 25 13.7 -37 42 53 17.245 17.478 101.9 3.2 297 26.1
2025-10-30 00:00 UT 06 25 03.0 -37 44 59 17.243 17.483 102.4 3.2 298 26.1
2025-10-31 00:00 UT 06 24 52.2 -37 47 03 17.240 17.488 102.8 3.2 299 26.1
2025-11-01 00:00 UT 06 24 41.0 -37 49 05 17.238 17.494 103.3 3.2 300 26.1
2025-11-02 00:00 UT 06 24 29.6 -37 51 06 17.236 17.499 103.8 3.2 301 26.1
2025-11-03 00:00 UT 06 24 17.9 -37 53 05 17.234 17.504 104.2 3.1 302 26.1
2025-11-04 00:00 UT 06 24 06.0 -37 55 02 17.232 17.509 104.6 3.1 303 26.1
2025-11-05 00:00 UT 06 23 53.8 -37 56 57 17.230 17.515 105.1 3.1 304 26.1
2025-11-06 00:00 UT 06 23 41.4 -37 58 50 17.228 17.520 105.5 3.1 305 26.1
2025-11-07 00:00 UT 06 23 28.7 -38 00 41 17.226 17.525 105.9 3.1 306 26.1
Terminology:
delta: distance between comet and earth in AU
radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
magn: magnitude (brightness) estimate
ra: right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
dec: declination in degrees
elong: elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)
phase: phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)
AU: Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km
Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.
