Skip to content
Public Universe
Comet

ATLAS

Add to an observing list or journal →

C/2020 X2 (ATLAS)

ATLAS is a comet in the Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y) orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 3.83 AU to 28.93 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 66.28 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 4 January 2024.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
13.036 AU
True anomaly
128.91°
Distance from Earth
13.976 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 — 13.036 AU from the Sun ATLAS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. ATLAS is 13.976 AU from Earth today (1.9 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
14h 56m 57s
Declination
-01° 01′ 18″
Constellation
Libra
Distance from Earth
13.98 AU
Elongation from the Sun
18.31° — too close to the Sun to observe

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
16.378 AU
Eccentricity
0.7662
Inclination
18.19°
Orbital period
66.28 years
Perihelion
3.829 AU
Aphelion
28.928 AU
Longitude of ascending node
105.46°
Argument of periapsis
347.36°
Epoch · J2000
2459202.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 1,108.3 LD
2.8479 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.484

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 3).

Observations used
253
Data arc
476 days
First observed
22 December 2019
Last observed
11 April 2021
Residual RMS
0.41 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
4 January 2024

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
7
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 16.3
7

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2020 X2

Named

Sources