|
C/2017 M4 (ATLAS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 17 Jan 2019 | 14.0 | 3.229 AU | 3.954 AU | 17h19m | -13°08' | 37.5° | 10.7° | 287° |
| Nearest approach | 13 May 2019 | 13.3 | 3.415 AU | 2.465 AU | 15h59m | -40°13' | 156.6° | 6.8° | 336° |
| Today | 4 Nov 2026 | 26.9 | 19.391 AU | 19.067 AU | 06h15m | -35°25' | 107.6° | 2.8° | 305° |
C/2017 M4 (ATLAS)- 2026-11-04
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) : 0.9997350
q (Perihelion distance) : 3.2294610
i (Inclination) : 105.65990
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 65.94680
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 167.30730
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 69.42578
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 12.21414
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458500.56880
Epoch : 2026 Nov 03
Reference : MPC194152
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-11-03 00:00 UT 06 15 59.0 -35 22 30 19.071 19.382 106.8 2.8 303 26.9
2026-11-04 00:00 UT 06 15 48.4 -35 24 12 19.069 19.387 107.3 2.8 304 26.9
2026-11-04 17:35 UT 06 15 40.5 -35 25 26 19.067 19.391 107.6 2.8 305 26.9
2026-11-05 00:00 UT 06 15 37.5 -35 25 53 19.066 19.392 107.8 2.8 305 26.9
2026-11-06 00:00 UT 06 15 26.5 -35 27 32 19.064 19.397 108.2 2.8 306 26.9
2026-11-07 00:00 UT 06 15 15.2 -35 29 09 19.062 19.402 108.7 2.8 307 26.9
2026-11-08 00:00 UT 06 15 03.7 -35 30 44 19.060 19.407 109.1 2.8 308 26.9
2026-11-09 00:00 UT 06 14 52.0 -35 32 17 19.058 19.412 109.5 2.8 309 26.9
2026-11-10 00:00 UT 06 14 40.1 -35 33 49 19.056 19.418 110.0 2.7 310 26.9
2026-11-11 00:00 UT 06 14 28.0 -35 35 18 19.055 19.423 110.4 2.7 311 26.9
2026-11-12 00:00 UT 06 14 15.7 -35 36 45 19.053 19.428 110.8 2.7 312 26.9
2026-11-13 00:00 UT 06 14 03.2 -35 38 10 19.052 19.433 111.2 2.7 313 26.9
2026-11-14 00:00 UT 06 13 50.5 -35 39 33 19.050 19.438 111.6 2.7 314 26.9
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.
