C/2018 N2 (ASASSN)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	19 Oct 2019	11.7	3.147 AU	2.227 AU	01h12m	+36°29'	153.0°	8.3°	168°
Perihelion	11 Nov 2019	11.8	3.139 AU	2.330 AU	00h20m	+38°52'	138.3°	12.1°	109°
Today	11 Nov 2026	22.9	17.988 AU	18.785 AU	13h52m	+13°14'	35.4°	1.8°	329°

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 5.6 + 5 log[∆] + 8.7 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 N2 (ASASSN) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0020590
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.1387520
    i (Inclination)                 : 77.40580
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 25.28830
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 24.63150
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 30.99739
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 24.00099
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458799.28860

    Epoch                           : 2026 Nov 10
    Reference                       : MPC194156

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-11-10 00:00 UT   13 52 36.4   +13 15 29    18.788   17.980   34.4    1.8   331   22.9 
2026-11-11 00:00 UT   13 52 47.6   +13 14 32    18.786   17.985   35.1    1.8   330   22.9 
2026-11-11 11:33 UT   13 52 53.0   +13 14 05    18.785   17.988   35.4    1.8   329   22.9 
2026-11-12 00:00 UT   13 52 58.9   +13 13 36    18.784   17.991   35.8    1.8   329   22.9 
2026-11-13 00:00 UT   13 53 10.0   +13 12 43    18.781   17.996   36.5    1.9   328   22.9 
2026-11-14 00:00 UT   13 53 21.1   +13 11 50    18.778   18.001   37.2    1.9   327   22.9 
2026-11-15 00:00 UT   13 53 32.1   +13 10 60    18.775   18.006   38.0    1.9   326   22.9 
2026-11-16 00:00 UT   13 53 43.0   +13 10 11    18.772   18.011   38.7    2.0   325   22.9 
2026-11-17 00:00 UT   13 53 53.8   +13 09 24    18.769   18.017   39.5    2.0   324   22.9 
2026-11-18 00:00 UT   13 54 04.6   +13 08 38    18.765   18.022   40.2    2.0   323   22.9 
2026-11-19 00:00 UT   13 54 15.2   +13 07 54    18.761   18.027   41.0    2.1   322   22.9 
2026-11-20 00:00 UT   13 54 25.8   +13 07 12    18.757   18.032   41.8    2.1   321   22.9 
2026-11-21 00:00 UT   13 54 36.3   +13 06 32    18.753   18.038   42.5    2.1   320   22.9 

    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.