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Comet Near-Earth

ZTF

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P/2021 N1 (ZTF)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
1.398 AU
True anomaly
76.49°
Distance from Earth
0.624 AU
As of
11 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.

Orbit of Mercury Orbit of Venus Orbit of Mars Sun Earth — 0.998 AU from the Sun Earth ZTF — 1.398 AU from the Sun ZTF
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. ZTF is 0.624 AU from Earth today (5.2 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
04h 51m 46s
Declination
+48° 58′ 00″
Constellation
Auriga
Distance from Earth
0.63 AU
Elongation from the Sun
117.96° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the northern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far south.

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
2.981 AU
Eccentricity
0.6759
Inclination
11.48°
Orbital period
5.15 years
Perihelion
0.966 AU
Aphelion
4.995 AU
Longitude of ascending node
301.12°
Argument of periapsis
21.22°
Epoch · J2000
2460892.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 6.9 LD
0.0178 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.839

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
409
Data arc
5.3 years
First observed
17 June 2021
Last observed
6 October 2026
Residual RMS
0.6 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
9 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
19.2
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 4.5
19.2

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2021 N1 · P/2026 M1

Near-Earth Object Named

Close approaches 21 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of ZTF at 2073-08-31 19:48 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2073-08-31 19:48 UTC close approach of ZTF. Catalogue miss distance 50.3 LD · 1.93 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2073-08-28 to 2073-09-03, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. The path is approximate: a two-body Kepler propagation of the catalogue orbital elements, not a numerical integration. The Moon’s position is approximate. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate. approximate Sun 50.3 LD · 1.93 × 10⁷ km 2073-08-31 19:48 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2073-08-31 19:48 UTC close approach of ZTF. Catalogue miss distance 50.3 LD · 1.93 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2073-08-28 to 2073-09-03, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. The path is approximate: a two-body Kepler propagation of the catalogue orbital elements, not a numerical integration. The Moon’s position is approximate. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate.

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2038-09-07 07:10:00 Juptr 0.8204 AU 319.3 LD 7.1 km/s
2050-12-21 18:27:00 Juptr 1.5094 AU 587.4 LD 8.8 km/s
2073-08-31 19:48:00 Earth 0.1293 AU 50.3 LD 11.4 km/s
2073-08-31 19:49:00 Earth 0.1293 AU 50.3 LD 11.4 km/s
2086-02-26 02:03:00 Juptr 0.5581 AU 217.2 LD 6.1 km/s
2098-07-20 12:53:00 Juptr 1.3236 AU 515.1 LD 8.2 km/s
2121-09-20 12:04:00 Earth 0.1896 AU 73.8 LD 13 km/s
2121-09-20 12:05:00 Earth 0.1896 AU 73.8 LD 13 km/s
2133-11-06 06:42:00 Juptr 1.8458 AU 718.3 LD 10.2 km/s
2145-10-18 04:25:00 Juptr 0.56 AU 217.9 LD 5.4 km/s

Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.

Sources