We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. Learn more.
Love TheSkyLive? Donate Now!
public LocationGreenwich, UK
TimezoneEurope/London
Sunrise: 5:19 
Transit: 13:06 
Sunset: 20:52
sunny   (Daytime)   What's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2)

Below the horizon.  Never rises today
Alt: -77.31°   Az: 184.55°   Direction: South

Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) is in the constellation of Tucana, at a distance of 676,242,516.0 kilometers from Earth. The current Right Ascension is 00h 12m 56s and the Declination is -64° 07’ 00” (apparent coordinates). The latest observed magnitude of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) is 13.9 (data provided by COBS).

Finder chart of C/2020 V2 (ZTF) in Tucana on July,28 2024
Map showing Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) in Tucana on July, 28 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map

Celestial Coordinates

Apparent

00h 12m 56s
-64° 07’ 00”
11h 50m 50s
12h 03m 46s

J2000

00h 11m 44s
-64° 15’ 12”

Additional Information

Tucana
13.9
1.1'
n/a
2024-07-27
15.04

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.

Rise and Set Times

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Today Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) is not visible from Greenwich, UK

  • C/2020 V2 (ZTF) is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2020 V2 (ZTF) is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 14 inches (350mm) or more.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.

Finder Charts

Finder chart of C/2020 V2 (ZTF)
Sky map showing Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) in Tucana on July, 28 2024. Field of view: 10x6 degrees. View in interactive sky chart

High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2020 V2 (ZTF)
RA: 00h 11m 44s
Dec: -64° 15’ 12”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2). Field of view: 60x40 arcmins. View in deep sky object tracker

Also check out Where is Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) from Earth is currently 676,242,516.0 kilometers, equivalent to 4.5204020140 Astronomical Units. Light takes 37m 35.702s to travel from Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) and arrive to us.

676,242,516.0
4.5204020140
37m 35.702s

The following chart shows the distance of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) 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.

Chart of the distance of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 V2 (ZTF) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) to Earth happens on Sun Sep 17 2023 at a distance of 1.854734 Astronomical Units, or 277,464,187 kilometers:

Sun Sep 17 2023
277,464,187
1.854734

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2), 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) as a function of time

Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) at epoch 28 January 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459608.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00119023
Orbit inclination i 131.60883991°
Perihelion distance q 2.22828584 AU
333,346,818 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-May-08 11:57:16
2,460,072.9981 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 162.40096844621°
Longitude of the ascending node node 212.36136909064°
Mean anomaly M -0.0056516715729318°
Mean motion n 0.00001217°/day

Orbit Visualization

Orbit Diagram of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2)
View Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet ZTF (C/2020 V2) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Jul 21 00h 23m 08s -62° 05’ 45” 14.99 Tucana
2024 Jul 22 00h 21m 57s -62° 22’ 01” 14.99 Tucana
2024 Jul 23 00h 20m 44s -62° 38’ 11” 15.00 Tucana
2024 Jul 24 00h 19m 28s -62° 54’ 13” 15.01 Tucana
2024 Jul 25 00h 18m 09s -63° 10’ 08” 15.01 Tucana
2024 Jul 26 00h 16m 46s -63° 25’ 54” 15.02 Tucana
2024 Jul 27 00h 15m 22s -63° 41’ 33” 15.03 Tucana
2024 Jul 28 00h 13m 54s -63° 57’ 01” 15.03 Tucana
2024 Jul 29 00h 12m 24s -64° 12’ 20” 15.04 Tucana
2024 Jul 30 00h 10m 50s -64° 27’ 28” 15.05 Tucana
2024 Jul 31 00h 09m 12s -64° 42’ 26” 15.05 Tucana
2024 Aug 01 00h 07m 33s -64° 57’ 12” 15.06 Tucana
2024 Aug 02 00h 05m 50s -65° 11’ 46” 15.07 Tucana
2024 Aug 03 00h 04m 04s -65° 26’ 07” 15.07 Tucana

Additional Resources