C/2017 M4 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	17 Jan 2019	14.0	3.231 AU	3.954 AU	17h19m	-13°09'	37.6°	10.7°	287°
Nearest approach	13 May 2019	13.3	3.416 AU	2.465 AU	16h00m	-40°12'	156.6°	6.7°	336°
Today	19 May 2026	26.6	18.532 AU	18.993 AU	05h59m	-32°37'	61.5°	2.8°	144°

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)                : 0.9998570
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.2307750
    i (Inclination)                 : 105.64630
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 65.97280
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 167.33260
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 69.44170
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 12.19065
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458500.77350

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 19
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-05-18 00:00 UT   05 59 06.3   -32 41 02    18.973   18.522   62.1    2.8   142   26.6 
2026-05-19 00:00 UT   05 59 17.7   -32 39 17    18.984   18.527   61.8    2.8   143   26.6 
2026-05-19 20:48 UT   05 59 27.7   -32 37 48    18.993   18.532   61.5    2.8   144   26.6 
2026-05-20 00:00 UT   05 59 29.3   -32 37 35    18.994   18.533   61.5    2.7   144   26.6 
2026-05-21 00:00 UT   05 59 40.9   -32 35 54    19.004   18.538   61.1    2.7   145   26.6 
2026-05-22 00:00 UT   05 59 52.6   -32 34 16    19.014   18.543   60.8    2.7   146   26.6 
2026-05-23 00:00 UT   06 00 04.5   -32 32 41    19.024   18.548   60.5    2.7   147   26.6 
2026-05-24 00:00 UT   06 00 16.4   -32 31 07    19.034   18.553   60.3    2.7   148   26.6 
2026-05-25 00:00 UT   06 00 28.4   -32 29 36    19.044   18.558   60.0    2.7   149   26.6 
2026-05-26 00:00 UT   06 00 40.5   -32 28 08    19.053   18.563   59.7    2.7   150   26.6 
2026-05-27 00:00 UT   06 00 52.7   -32 26 41    19.063   18.569   59.4    2.7   151   26.6 
2026-05-28 00:00 UT   06 01 05.0   -32 25 17    19.072   18.574   59.2    2.7   152   26.6 
2026-05-29 00:00 UT   06 01 17.4   -32 23 56    19.081   18.579   58.9    2.7   153   26.6 

    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.