Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR)
Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) is currently in the constellation of Ursa Major, at a distance of 1,443,708,405 kilometers from Earth.
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The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Right now it is placed in the North-North-West direction at an altitude of 17° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) from Earth is currently 1,443,708,405 kilometers, equivalent to 9.650595 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 20 minutes and 15.6929 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) to Earth happens on Mon May 17 2021 at a distance of 2.365787 Astronomical Units, or 353,916,701 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) at epoch 13 October 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459501.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00033316 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 142.29530545° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.35516120 AU 501,924,972 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2021-Apr-18 14:29:54 2,459,323.1041 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 341.75540006913° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 226.58268154202° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 0.00017397649330717° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000098°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 09h 54m 59s | +53° 27’ 29” | 20.05 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 02 | 09h 54m 38s | +53° 24’ 33” | 20.06 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 03 | 09h 54m 20s | +53° 21’ 37” | 20.06 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 04 | 09h 54m 02s | +53° 18’ 38” | 20.07 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 05 | 09h 53m 44s | +53° 15’ 37” | 20.08 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 06 | 09h 53m 27s | +53° 12’ 33” | 20.08 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 07 | 09h 53m 12s | +53° 09’ 29” | 20.09 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 08 | 09h 52m 55s | +53° 06’ 24” | 20.10 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 09 | 09h 52m 41s | +53° 03’ 15” | 20.10 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 10 | 09h 52m 27s | +53° 00’ 06” | 20.11 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 11 | 09h 52m 14s | +52° 56’ 57” | 20.12 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 12 | 09h 52m 02s | +52° 53’ 45” | 20.12 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 13 | 09h 51m 51s | +52° 50’ 33” | 20.13 | Ursa Major |
| 2024 May 14 | 09h 51m 41s | +52° 47’ 18” | 20.14 | Ursa Major |