P/2018 VN2 (Leonard)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	15 Aug 2026	18.6	2.120 AU	1.585 AU	01h44m	+27°58'	107.3°	27.1°	243°
Today	30 Sep 2026	18.1	2.153 AU	1.242 AU	02h04m	+25°53'	147.1°	14.6°	230°
Nearest approach	19 Oct 2026	18.1	2.183 AU	1.202 AU	01h57m	+22°00'	166.5°	6.1°	206°

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 14.3 + 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 P/2018 VN2 (Leonard) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.4778690
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.1195570
    i (Inclination)                 : 18.25560
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 226.42580
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 138.93480
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 186.82031
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 11.87538
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461268.19090
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 8.18

    Epoch                           : 2026 Sep 30
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-SA1

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.755

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-09-29 00:00 UT   02 05 05.8   +26 10 39     1.250    2.150  145.2   15.4   231   18.1 
2026-09-30 00:00 UT   02 04 55.2   +26 00 59     1.245    2.151  146.3   15.0   230   18.1 
2026-09-30 19:03 UT   02 04 45.8   +25 53 05     1.242    2.153  147.1   14.6   230   18.1 
2026-10-01 00:00 UT   02 04 43.2   +25 51 00     1.241    2.153  147.3   14.6   230   18.1 
2026-10-02 00:00 UT   02 04 29.8   +25 40 42     1.237    2.154  148.3   14.1   229   18.1 
2026-10-03 00:00 UT   02 04 14.9   +25 30 03     1.233    2.156  149.4   13.7   228   18.1 
2026-10-04 00:00 UT   02 03 58.8   +25 19 06     1.230    2.157  150.5   13.2   228   18.1 
2026-10-05 00:00 UT   02 03 41.4   +25 07 50     1.226    2.159  151.5   12.8   227   18.1 
2026-10-06 00:00 UT   02 03 22.9   +24 56 15     1.223    2.160  152.6   12.3   226   18.1 
2026-10-07 00:00 UT   02 03 03.1   +24 44 23     1.220    2.162  153.7   11.8   225   18.1 
2026-10-08 00:00 UT   02 02 42.3   +24 32 12     1.217    2.164  154.8   11.4   224   18.1 
2026-10-09 00:00 UT   02 02 20.4   +24 19 44     1.215    2.165  155.8   10.9   223   18.1 
2026-10-10 00:00 UT   02 01 57.6   +24 06 59     1.212    2.167  156.9   10.4   222   18.1 

    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.