C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	2 Feb 2019	7.4	1.298 AU	0.442 AU	12h22m	-04°38'	126.5°	37.6°	295°
Nearest approach	10 Feb 2019	6.7	1.304 AU	0.319 AU	09h58m	+20°07'	172.0°	6.1°	225°
Today	28 Apr 2026	34.2	19.453 AU	20.210 AU	23h39m	+08°10'	40.3°	1.9°	258°

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 7.4 + 5 log[∆] + 15.8 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 Y1 (Iwamoto) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9897610
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.2980330
    i (Inclination)                 : 160.50460
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 147.29520
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 357.88740
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 149.28678
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -0.70490
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458517.31050
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 1427.39

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   23 39 40.1   +08 09 05    20.218   19.445   38.8    1.9   258   34.2 
2026-04-28 00:00 UT   23 39 47.3   +08 10 07    20.213   19.450   39.7    1.9   258   34.2 
2026-04-28 15:53 UT   23 39 52.0   +08 10 48    20.210   19.453   40.3    1.9   258   34.2 
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   23 39 54.4   +08 11 09    20.208   19.455   40.6    1.9   258   34.2 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   23 40 01.4   +08 12 10    20.202   19.460   41.5    2.0   257   34.2 
2026-05-01 00:00 UT   23 40 08.2   +08 13 11    20.196   19.465   42.4    2.0   257   34.2 
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   23 40 15.0   +08 14 11    20.190   19.470   43.3    2.0   257   34.2 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   23 40 21.5   +08 15 11    20.184   19.475   44.2    2.1   256   34.2 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   23 40 28.0   +08 16 10    20.178   19.481   45.2    2.1   256   34.2 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   23 40 34.3   +08 17 09    20.171   19.486   46.1    2.1   256   34.2 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   23 40 40.5   +08 18 08    20.164   19.491   47.0    2.2   255   34.2 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   23 40 46.6   +08 19 05    20.157   19.496   47.9    2.2   255   34.2 
2026-05-08 00:00 UT   23 40 52.5   +08 20 03    20.150   19.501   48.8    2.2   255   34.2 

    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.