C/2022 W2 (ATLAS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach21 Jan 202318.23.155 AU2.810 AU22h16m+80°01'101.3°17.8°30°
Perihelion8 Mar 202318.33.123 AU2.960 AU04h03m+74°20'90.1°18.5°72°
Today7 Jun 202319.13.245 AU3.930 AU07h54m+45°56'41.8°12.0°71°
C/2022 W2 (ATLAS)- 2023-06-07
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
-1 month
-1 week
-1 day
Now
+1 day
+1 week
+1 month

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.)

The orbital elements of C/2022 W2 (ATLAS) are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9907050
            q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.1228140
            i (Inclination)                 : 63.53100
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 320.45050
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 123.26100
            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 286.25276
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 48.46309
            T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460012.19670

            Epoch                           : 2023 Jun 07
            Reference                       : MPEC 2023-L10

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

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC. The gray curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from the original MPEC, or the latest values provided by the MPC (13.30 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 10.98 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]).


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.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.