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Solar
Comet Near-Earth

ATLAS

P/2021 PE20 (ATLAS)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
5.299 AU
True anomaly
204.35°
As of
17 September 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.

In the sky

Right ascension
10h 54m 44s
Declination
+21° 55′ 34″
Constellation
Leo
Distance from Earth
6.2 AU
Elongation from the Sun
23.43° — near the Sun — look low at dusk or dawn

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

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it's up after dark, and when it rises and sets where you are.

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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
3.746 AU
Eccentricity
0.6708
Inclination
20.02°
Orbital period
7.25 years
Perihelion
1.233 AU
Aphelion
6.259 AU
Longitude of ascending node
99.63°
Argument of periapsis
210.45°
Epoch · J2000
2459463.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 99.3 LD
0.2551 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.572

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 5).

Observations used
112
Data arc
95 days
First observed
9 August 2021
Last observed
12 November 2021
Residual RMS
0.61 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
24 April 2023

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
15.4
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 16.3
15.4

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2021 PE20

Near-Earth Object Named

Close approaches 3 on record

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2037-09-04 16:48:00 Jupiter 0.159 AU 61.9 LD 8.9 km/s

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

Sources