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Comet

ATLAS

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C/2026 S2 (ATLAS)

ATLAS is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 4.38 AU to 822.47 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 8,406.3 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 14 October 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
4.728 AU
True anomaly
328.34°
Distance from Earth
4.171 AU
As of
25 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 — 4.728 AU from the Sun ATLAS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. ATLAS is 4.171 AU from Earth today (34.7 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
06h 01m 58s
Declination
-01° 08′ 20″
Constellation
Orion
Distance from Earth
4.17 AU
Elongation from the Sun
118.69° — 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
413.425 AU
Eccentricity
0.9894
Inclination
158.46°
Orbital period
8,406.3 years
Perihelion
4.378 AU
Aphelion
822.471 AU
Longitude of ascending node
352°
Argument of periapsis
304°
Epoch · J2000
2461311.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 1,340.7 LD
3.4451 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
-2.394

Orbit quality

Observations used
87
Data arc
22 days
First observed
19 September 2026
Last observed
11 October 2026
Residual RMS
0.36 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
14 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
8.7
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 10
8.7

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2026 S2

Named

Sources