Skip to content
Public Universe
Comet

ATLAS

Add to an observing list or journal →

C/2024 S1 (ATLAS)

ATLAS is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.01 AU to 189.78 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 924.4 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 September 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
8.791 AU
True anomaly
176.63°
Distance from Earth
8.641 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 — 8.791 AU from the Sun ATLAS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. ATLAS is 8.641 AU from Earth today (1.2 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
07h 22m 18s
Declination
-13° 17′ 15″
Constellation
Canis Major
Distance from Earth
8.64 AU
Elongation from the Sun
96.1° — 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
94.894 AU
Eccentricity
0.9999
Inclination
141.9°
Orbital period
924.4 years
Perihelion
0.008 AU
Aphelion
189.781 AU
Longitude of ascending node
347.15°
Argument of periapsis
69.17°
Epoch · J2000
2460588.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 200.4 LD
0.5148 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
-0.032

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 6).

Observations used
297
Data arc
23 days
First observed
27 September 2024
Last observed
20 October 2024
Residual RMS
0.79 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 September 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
15.3
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 4.5
15.3

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2024 S1

Named

Sources