C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	9 Dec 2016	10.3	0.887 AU	0.745 AU	15h09m	+30°06'	59.8°	73.7°	329°
Perihelion	9 Jan 2017	6.8	0.321 AU	1.174 AU	18h25m	-19°54'	13.8°	47.0°	281°
Today	12 Apr 2026	32.8	24.501 AU	25.396 AU	02h51m	-05°16'	26.2°	1.0°	122°

The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)

Light curve

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 11.5 + 5 log[∆] + 10.3 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)

Charts

The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.

The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.

Orbital elements

The orbital elements of C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0002120
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.3206390
    i (Inclination)                 : 46.03550
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 61.80800
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 162.54930
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 49.49747
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 12.46530
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2457763.27700

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-11 00:00 UT   02 51 21.7   -05 17 53    25.380   24.494   27.1    1.1   119   32.8 
2026-04-12 00:00 UT   02 51 30.0   -05 16 54    25.390   24.499   26.6    1.0   121   32.8 
2026-04-12 13:55 UT   02 51 34.8   -05 16 19    25.396   24.501   26.2    1.0   122   32.8 
2026-04-13 00:00 UT   02 51 38.3   -05 15 55    25.400   24.503   26.0    1.0   123   32.8 
2026-04-14 00:00 UT   02 51 46.7   -05 14 56    25.409   24.508   25.4    1.0   125   32.8 
2026-04-15 00:00 UT   02 51 55.2   -05 13 58    25.419   24.513   24.9    1.0   126   32.8 
2026-04-16 00:00 UT   02 52 03.7   -05 13 01    25.428   24.518   24.4    1.0   128   32.8 
2026-04-17 00:00 UT   02 52 12.2   -05 12 04    25.436   24.523   23.9    1.0   130   32.8 
2026-04-18 00:00 UT   02 52 20.8   -05 11 09    25.445   24.528   23.5    0.9   132   32.8 
2026-04-19 00:00 UT   02 52 29.4   -05 10 13    25.453   24.533   23.1    0.9   134   32.8 
2026-04-20 00:00 UT   02 52 38.1   -05 09 19    25.461   24.538   22.7    0.9   137   32.8 
2026-04-21 00:00 UT   02 52 46.8   -05 08 25    25.468   24.543   22.3    0.9   139   32.8 
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   02 52 55.6   -05 07 32    25.476   24.548   22.0    0.9   141   32.8 

    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between comet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km      
    

Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.