C/2018 A6 (Gibbs)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	15 Mar 2019	13.9	3.183 AU	2.716 AU	08h49m	-60°42'	109.1°	17.2°	46°
Perihelion	10 Jul 2019	14.0	3.012 AU	3.068 AU	07h50m	-54°44'	77.3°	19.2°	172°
Today	8 Jul 2026	22.2	14.815 AU	14.576 AU	22h27m	+41°08'	101.6°	3.9°	226°

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 8.2 + 5 log[∆] + 7.0 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/2018 A6 (Gibbs) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.7990700
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.0117790
    i (Inclination)                 : 77.20400
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 340.50230
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 264.21180
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 45.90945
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -75.97568
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458675.42090
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 58.03

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 07
    Reference                       : MPC194155

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); Halley type (P < 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-07-07 00:00 UT   22 27 24.0   +41 05 09    14.588   14.809  100.6    3.9   227   22.2 
2026-07-08 00:00 UT   22 27 10.5   +41 07 30    14.580   14.813  101.3    3.9   226   22.2 
2026-07-08 13:21 UT   22 27 02.9   +41 08 48    14.576   14.815  101.6    3.9   226   22.2 
2026-07-09 00:00 UT   22 26 56.7   +41 09 49    14.573   14.816  101.9    3.8   225   22.2 
2026-07-10 00:00 UT   22 26 42.7   +41 12 06    14.565   14.820  102.6    3.8   225   22.2 
2026-07-11 00:00 UT   22 26 28.4   +41 14 19    14.558   14.824  103.2    3.8   224   22.2 
2026-07-12 00:00 UT   22 26 13.8   +41 16 29    14.551   14.827  103.9    3.8   223   22.2 
2026-07-13 00:00 UT   22 25 58.9   +41 18 37    14.543   14.831  104.5    3.8   222   22.2 
2026-07-14 00:00 UT   22 25 43.8   +41 20 42    14.536   14.834  105.1    3.8   221   22.2 
2026-07-15 00:00 UT   22 25 28.4   +41 22 44    14.529   14.838  105.8    3.8   221   22.2 
2026-07-16 00:00 UT   22 25 12.7   +41 24 42    14.522   14.842  106.4    3.8   220   22.2 
2026-07-17 00:00 UT   22 24 56.8   +41 26 38    14.515   14.845  107.0    3.8   219   22.2 
2026-07-18 00:00 UT   22 24 40.7   +41 28 31    14.509   14.849  107.6    3.7   218   22.2 

    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.