C/2016 U1 (NEOWISE)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	9 Dec 2016	10.3	0.887 AU	0.744 AU	15h09m	+30°11'	59.8°	73.7°	329°
Perihelion	9 Jan 2017	6.8	0.320 AU	1.173 AU	18h25m	-19°54'	13.8°	47.0°	281°
Today	14 May 2026	32.9	24.658 AU	25.574 AU	02h56m	-04°51'	24.4°	1.0°	196°

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)                : 1.0002090
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.3200850
    i (Inclination)                 : 46.06650
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 61.78240
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 162.55490
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 49.48264
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 12.46797
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2457763.27670

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 13
    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
2026-05-13 00:00 UT   02 56 02.8   -04 51 57    25.571   24.650   23.7    0.9   193   32.8 
2026-05-14 00:00 UT   02 56 11.7   -04 51 22    25.573   24.655   24.2    1.0   195   32.9 
2026-05-14 13:17 UT   02 56 16.6   -04 51 03    25.574   24.658   24.4    1.0   196   32.9 
2026-05-15 00:00 UT   02 56 20.6   -04 50 48    25.574   24.660   24.7    1.0   197   32.9 
2026-05-16 00:00 UT   02 56 29.4   -04 50 15    25.575   24.665   25.2    1.0   199   32.9 
2026-05-17 00:00 UT   02 56 38.3   -04 49 42    25.576   24.670   25.7    1.0   201   32.9 
2026-05-18 00:00 UT   02 56 47.1   -04 49 11    25.577   24.675   26.2    1.0   202   32.9 
2026-05-19 00:00 UT   02 56 55.9   -04 48 41    25.578   24.680   26.8    1.1   204   32.9 
2026-05-20 00:00 UT   02 57 04.7   -04 48 11    25.578   24.685   27.4    1.1   205   32.9 
2026-05-21 00:00 UT   02 57 13.4   -04 47 43    25.578   24.689   28.0    1.1   207   32.9 
2026-05-22 00:00 UT   02 57 22.1   -04 47 15    25.577   24.694   28.6    1.1   208   32.9 
2026-05-23 00:00 UT   02 57 30.8   -04 46 49    25.577   24.699   29.2    1.1   210   32.9 
2026-05-24 00:00 UT   02 57 39.4   -04 46 23    25.576   24.704   29.9    1.2   211   32.9 

    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.