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Comet

ATLAS

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C/2021 K1 (ATLAS)

ATLAS is a comet in the Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y) orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.5 AU to 22.99 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 45.49 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 19 July 2022.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
12.629 AU
True anomaly
143.13°
Distance from Earth
12.464 AU
As of
24 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Sun Earth — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth ATLAS — 12.629 AU from the Sun ATLAS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. ATLAS is 12.464 AU from Earth today (1.7 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
07h 37m 00s
Declination
+12° 39′ 08″
Constellation
Canis Minor
Distance from Earth
12.46 AU
Elongation from the Sun
97.65° — well clear of the Sun

Visible from both hemispheres.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
12.744 AU
Eccentricity
0.804
Inclination
16.28°
Orbital period
45.49 years
Perihelion
2.498 AU
Aphelion
22.989 AU
Longitude of ascending node
140.91°
Argument of periapsis
184.3°
Epoch · J2000
2459445.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 578.2 LD
1.4857 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.195

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 3).

Observations used
676
Data arc
651 days
First observed
20 April 2020
Last observed
31 January 2022
Residual RMS
0.46 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
19 July 2022

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
6.6
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 19
6.6

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2021 K1

Named

Sources