C/2019 L3 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	6 Jan 2022	9.4	3.562 AU	2.588 AU	07h06m	+31°46'	170.6°	2.6°	174°
Perihelion	10 Jan 2022	9.4	3.562 AU	2.590 AU	07h02m	+31°07'	169.6°	2.9°	150°
Today	23 Feb 2026	17.4	11.922 AU	11.713 AU	13h31m	-61°34'	99.8°	4.7°	313°

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 2.3 + 5 log[∆] + 9.1 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 L3 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0034480
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.5619110
    i (Inclination)                 : 48.34710
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 290.70910
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 171.80340
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 285.24070
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 6.11511
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459589.72510

    Epoch                           : 2026 Feb 22
    Reference                       : MPC185656

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-02-22 00:00 UT   13 31 57.5   -61 31 18    11.720   11.914   98.9    4.7   312   17.4 
2026-02-23 00:00 UT   13 31 41.4   -61 33 52    11.715   11.920   99.6    4.7   313   17.4 
2026-02-23 09:18 UT   13 31 35.0   -61 34 51    11.713   11.922   99.8    4.7   313   17.4 
2026-02-24 00:00 UT   13 31 24.7   -61 36 23    11.710   11.926  100.2    4.7   314   17.4 
2026-02-25 00:00 UT   13 31 07.4   -61 38 50    11.704   11.932  100.9    4.7   315   17.4 
2026-02-26 00:00 UT   13 30 49.5   -61 41 14    11.699   11.938  101.6    4.7   316   17.4 
2026-02-27 00:00 UT   13 30 31.0   -61 43 34    11.694   11.944  102.2    4.6   316   17.4 
2026-02-28 00:00 UT   13 30 12.0   -61 45 50    11.689   11.949  102.9    4.6   317   17.4 
2026-03-01 00:00 UT   13 29 52.4   -61 48 02    11.684   11.955  103.5    4.6   318   17.4 
2026-03-02 00:00 UT   13 29 32.3   -61 50 10    11.679   11.961  104.2    4.6   319   17.4 
2026-03-03 00:00 UT   13 29 11.6   -61 52 15    11.674   11.967  104.9    4.6   320   17.4 
2026-03-04 00:00 UT   13 28 50.4   -61 54 15    11.670   11.973  105.5    4.6   321   17.4 
2026-03-05 00:00 UT   13 28 28.7   -61 56 11    11.665   11.979  106.1    4.6   322   17.4 

    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.