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Comet

ATLAS

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C/2026 Q1 (ATLAS)

ATLAS is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.12 AU to 74.02 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 234.9 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 20 October 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
2.401 AU
True anomaly
40.43°
Distance from Earth
3.07 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 — 2.401 AU from the Sun ATLAS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. ATLAS is 3.07 AU from Earth today (25.5 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
16h 26m 56s
Declination
-33° 50′ 21″
Constellation
Scorpius
Distance from Earth
3.08 AU
Elongation from the Sun
40.11° — near the Sun — look low at dusk or dawn

Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.

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
38.072 AU
Eccentricity
0.9442
Inclination
65.77°
Orbital period
234.9 years
Perihelion
2.123 AU
Aphelion
74.022 AU
Longitude of ascending node
273.04°
Argument of periapsis
302.47°
Epoch · J2000
2461286.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 550.9 LD
1.4157 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.868

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 6).

Observations used
67
Data arc
50 days
First observed
19 August 2026
Last observed
8 October 2026
Residual RMS
0.51 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
20 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
12.5
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 13.5
12.5

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2026 Q1

Named

Sources