C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	28 Nov 2018	9.9	0.429 AU	0.663 AU	15h52m	-02°02'	20.1°	127.9°	344°
Perihelion	5 Dec 2018	10.2	0.388 AU	0.773 AU	17h43m	-06°19'	21.4°	111.8°	40°
Today	10 Sep 2026	35.1	21.707 AU	21.986 AU	14h45m	-51°35'	72.6°	2.5°	123°

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 15.1 + 5 log[∆] + 10.0 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 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0003690
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.3879610
    i (Inclination)                 : 144.22660
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 129.73540
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 89.63180
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 40.18922
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 35.77255
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458457.60750

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194157

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-09-09 00:00 UT   14 45 47.3   -51 36 50    21.967   21.702   73.5    2.6   122   35.1 
2026-09-10 00:00 UT   14 45 55.8   -51 35 53    21.985   21.707   72.7    2.5   123   35.1 
2026-09-10 01:04 UT   14 45 56.2   -51 35 51    21.986   21.707   72.6    2.5   123   35.1 
2026-09-11 00:00 UT   14 46 04.6   -51 34 58    22.003   21.712   71.9    2.5   124   35.1 
2026-09-12 00:00 UT   14 46 13.6   -51 34 04    22.022   21.718   71.1    2.5   124   35.1 
2026-09-13 00:00 UT   14 46 22.8   -51 33 12    22.040   21.723   70.3    2.5   125   35.1 
2026-09-14 00:00 UT   14 46 32.2   -51 32 21    22.058   21.728   69.6    2.5   125   35.1 
2026-09-15 00:00 UT   14 46 41.8   -51 31 32    22.076   21.733   68.8    2.5   126   35.1 
2026-09-16 00:00 UT   14 46 51.6   -51 30 45    22.094   21.738   68.0    2.5   126   35.1 
2026-09-17 00:00 UT   14 47 01.6   -51 29 58    22.112   21.744   67.3    2.4   127   35.1 
2026-09-18 00:00 UT   14 47 11.7   -51 29 14    22.129   21.749   66.5    2.4   128   35.1 
2026-09-19 00:00 UT   14 47 22.1   -51 28 31    22.147   21.754   65.7    2.4   128   35.2 
2026-09-20 00:00 UT   14 47 32.7   -51 27 49    22.164   21.759   65.0    2.4   129   35.2 

    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.