COMET C/2020 R4 (Atlas)

COMET C/2020 R4
Last year we witnessed the spectacular passage of the NEOWIS comet, and for a long time we enjoyed the view of the comet coming to us again in approximately 7000 years. Fortunately, many of us have seen it with the naked eye, and many photos have been left in the archives for generations to come. Many comets have different orbital periods, and some appear much more often in our sky. The current comet in our sky is C / 2020 R4 (Atlas), but it also has a long orbital period. The return period of the Comet C/2020 R4 (Atlas) is every 934 years.



When it was discovered
This comet was observed in mid-September 2020, and was 1.03 astronomical units away from the Sun. This means that the comet approached the Sun at a distance slightly greater than the distance of the Earth from the Sun. With a current apparent magnitude of 9.5, you can find the comet with binoculars and small telescopes in the constellation Aquila. It can already be found in the sky, but the comet still does not have the strongest glow. This beautiful space object will be best seen on April 15, when its glow will reach +6.3 magnitude. Although it is close to being seen, it will not be seen with the naked eye even then. However, this should not discourage you. All those who have good binoculars or a small telescope — will enjoy the view of the beautiful C / 2020 R4 (Atlas) comet.

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