C/2018 W2 (Africano)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	6 Sep 2019	10.2	1.464 AU	0.854 AU	02h47m	+52°38'	103.3°	42.1°	239°
Nearest approach	27 Sep 2019	9.1	1.496 AU	0.502 AU	23h56m	+14°16'	166.5°	9.0°	160°
Today	18 Mar 2026	30.3	18.319 AU	17.791 AU	12h28m	-58°00'	120.6°	2.7°	349°

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 8.5 + 5 log[∆] + 12.3 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 W2 (Africano) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0009660
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.4638620
    i (Inclination)                 : 116.48790
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 182.06110
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 158.25710
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 192.14712
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 19.36327
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458732.55360

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   12 29 20.4   -58 01 52    17.795   18.310  119.8    2.7   347   30.3 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   12 28 57.4   -58 01 21    17.793   18.315  120.3    2.7   348   30.3 
2026-03-18 15:47 UT   12 28 42.3   -58 00 59    17.791   18.319  120.6    2.7   349   30.3 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   12 28 34.4   -58 00 47    17.791   18.321  120.8    2.7   350   30.3 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   12 28 11.3   -58 00 10    17.789   18.326  121.3    2.7   351   30.3 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   12 27 48.1   -57 59 29    17.787   18.332  121.8    2.6   352   30.3 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   12 27 24.9   -57 58 46    17.786   18.337  122.2    2.6   353   30.3 
2026-03-23 00:00 UT   12 27 01.6   -57 57 59    17.784   18.343  122.7    2.6   354   30.3 
2026-03-24 00:00 UT   12 26 38.4   -57 57 09    17.783   18.348  123.2    2.6   355   30.3 
2026-03-25 00:00 UT   12 26 15.1   -57 56 15    17.782   18.353  123.6    2.6   357   30.3 
2026-03-26 00:00 UT   12 25 51.8   -57 55 19    17.782   18.359  124.0    2.6   358   30.3 
2026-03-27 00:00 UT   12 25 28.5   -57 54 20    17.781   18.364  124.5    2.6   359   30.3 
2026-03-28 00:00 UT   12 25 05.3   -57 53 17    17.780   18.370  124.9    2.6     0   30.3 

    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.