C/2019 E3 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	15 Nov 2023	16.8	10.313 AU	10.373 AU	04h08m	-77°24'	83.8°	5.5°	349°
Nearest approach	25 Aug 2024	16.8	10.424 AU	10.069 AU	02h50m	-67°49'	107.9°	5.3°	286°
Today	31 May 2026	17.5	11.426 AU	11.503 AU	00h42m	-42°25'	83.1°	5.1°	232°

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 1.6 + 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/2019 E3 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9986990
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 10.3133640
    i (Inclination)                 : 84.33090
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 347.17660
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 280.72790
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 319.63893
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -77.88184
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460264.42070
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 705804.75

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 30
    Reference                       : MPC194160

    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
2026-05-30 00:00 UT   00 42 05.6   -42 24 21    11.516   11.424   82.3    5.0   231   17.5 
2026-05-31 00:00 UT   00 42 13.8   -42 24 57    11.506   11.426   82.9    5.1   232   17.5 
2026-05-31 06:28 UT   00 42 16.0   -42 25 07    11.503   11.426   83.1    5.1   232   17.5 
2026-06-01 00:00 UT   00 42 21.8   -42 25 36    11.496   11.428   83.6    5.1   232   17.5 
2026-06-02 00:00 UT   00 42 29.4   -42 26 19    11.486   11.430   84.3    5.1   233   17.5 
2026-06-03 00:00 UT   00 42 36.6   -42 27 04    11.476   11.433   85.0    5.1   234   17.5 
2026-06-04 00:00 UT   00 42 43.5   -42 27 53    11.466   11.435   85.7    5.1   234   17.5 
2026-06-05 00:00 UT   00 42 50.0   -42 28 44    11.455   11.437   86.4    5.1   235   17.5 
2026-06-06 00:00 UT   00 42 56.1   -42 29 39    11.445   11.439   87.1    5.1   235   17.5 
2026-06-07 00:00 UT   00 43 01.9   -42 30 37    11.435   11.442   87.8    5.1   236   17.5 
2026-06-08 00:00 UT   00 43 07.3   -42 31 38    11.425   11.444   88.5    5.1   237   17.5 
2026-06-09 00:00 UT   00 43 12.3   -42 32 42    11.415   11.446   89.2    5.1   237   17.5 
2026-06-10 00:00 UT   00 43 17.0   -42 33 48    11.404   11.448   89.9    5.1   238   17.5 

    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.