C/2019 K7 (Smith)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	16 Jun 2020	15.6	4.470 AU	3.799 AU	20h22m	+13°14'	125.9°	10.6°	228°
Nearest approach	15 Jul 2020	15.5	4.477 AU	3.646 AU	19h43m	+18°12'	140.4°	8.3°	180°
Today	14 Jun 2026	21.6	15.314 AU	15.803 AU	10h09m	+49°46'	59.5°	3.3°	91°

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 9.2 + 5 log[∆] + 5.4 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 K7 (Smith) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9996020
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.4702860
    i (Inclination)                 : 103.46000
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 308.05190
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 27.29490
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 301.20272
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 26.48572
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459016.79010

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jun 13
    Reference                       : MPC194161

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-06-13 00:00 UT   10 09 18.1   +49 51 53    15.776   15.305   60.7    3.3    92   21.6 
2026-06-14 00:00 UT   10 09 23.4   +49 48 48    15.793   15.310   60.0    3.3    91   21.6 
2026-06-14 15:21 UT   10 09 27.0   +49 46 51    15.803   15.314   59.5    3.3    91   21.6 
2026-06-15 00:00 UT   10 09 29.1   +49 45 45    15.809   15.316   59.3    3.3    91   21.6 
2026-06-16 00:00 UT   10 09 35.0   +49 42 41    15.825   15.321   58.6    3.2    90   21.6 
2026-06-17 00:00 UT   10 09 41.3   +49 39 38    15.841   15.326   57.9    3.2    89   21.6 
2026-06-18 00:00 UT   10 09 47.8   +49 36 35    15.857   15.331   57.2    3.2    88   21.6 
2026-06-19 00:00 UT   10 09 54.7   +49 33 33    15.872   15.336   56.6    3.2    88   21.6 
2026-06-20 00:00 UT   10 10 01.8   +49 30 31    15.888   15.342   55.9    3.1    87   21.6 
2026-06-21 00:00 UT   10 10 09.3   +49 27 30    15.903   15.347   55.2    3.1    86   21.6 
2026-06-22 00:00 UT   10 10 17.0   +49 24 29    15.918   15.352   54.6    3.1    85   21.6 
2026-06-23 00:00 UT   10 10 25.0   +49 21 29    15.933   15.357   53.9    3.1    85   21.6 
2026-06-24 00:00 UT   10 10 33.3   +49 18 29    15.948   15.363   53.3    3.0    84   21.6 

    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.