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	9 Aug 2026	35.0	21.544 AU	21.390 AU	14h43m	-52°15'	97.4°	2.7°	106°

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
2026-08-08 00:00 UT   14 43 22.7   -52 18 41    21.356   21.535   98.8    2.7   105   35.0 
2026-08-09 00:00 UT   14 43 23.0   -52 17 05    21.375   21.540   98.0    2.7   106   35.0 
2026-08-09 18:23 UT   14 43 23.5   -52 15 52    21.390   21.544   97.4    2.7   106   35.0 
2026-08-10 00:00 UT   14 43 23.7   -52 15 30    21.394   21.546   97.2    2.7   106   35.0 
2026-08-11 00:00 UT   14 43 24.6   -52 13 55    21.413   21.551   96.4    2.7   107   35.0 
2026-08-12 00:00 UT   14 43 25.8   -52 12 22    21.432   21.556   95.6    2.7   108   35.0 
2026-08-13 00:00 UT   14 43 27.3   -52 10 50    21.451   21.561   94.8    2.7   108   35.0 
2026-08-14 00:00 UT   14 43 29.1   -52 09 19    21.471   21.567   94.1    2.7   109   35.0 
2026-08-15 00:00 UT   14 43 31.2   -52 07 48    21.490   21.572   93.3    2.7   109   35.1 
2026-08-16 00:00 UT   14 43 33.5   -52 06 19    21.509   21.577   92.5    2.7   110   35.1 
2026-08-17 00:00 UT   14 43 36.1   -52 04 51    21.528   21.582   91.7    2.7   110   35.1 
2026-08-18 00:00 UT   14 43 39.0   -52 03 24    21.548   21.587   90.9    2.7   111   35.1 
2026-08-19 00:00 UT   14 43 42.2   -52 01 59    21.567   21.593   90.1    2.7   111   35.1 

    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.