Bandar Seri Begawan – Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) is peaking brightness as it close approaching to Earth on Sat May 23, 2020, about 0.25 AU from the Sun. It is readily visible from the Northern hemisphere
Currently in the constellation of Ursa Major, the comet is easily spotted (~magnitude 9.5) and appeared as a fuzzy ball in a small telescope despite of bright moonlit sky last night (Mac 12, 2020). No clear sign of a comet tail at the moment.
| Discovery Date | December 28, 2019 |
| Magnitude | 19.6 mag |
| Discoverer | Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) search program |
Light curve of the comet: http://www.aerith.net/comet/catalog/2019Y4/2019Y4.html and http://astro.vanbuitenen.nl/comet/2019Y4
Based on it’s light curves, if we are lucky it may turn out to be a bright naked eye comet in mid-May this year.
More info and updates of the comet: https://theskylive.com/c2019y4-info