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A/2019 O2
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion5 Apr 202319.59.680 AU9.208 AU 16h34m+32°52'115.4°5.4°243°
Nearest approach16 May 202319.59.682 AU9.045 AU 16h14m+33°22'126.6°4.8°193°
Today11 May 202619.711.197 AU10.192 AU 15h09m-11°57'174.1°0.5°177°
A/2019 O2- 2026-05-11
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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. The displayed light curve is calculated under the assumption that the object remains inactive. (H=9.35; G=.15).



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 A/2019 O2 are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.8355460
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 9.6798390
    i (Inclination)                 : 93.27900
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 48.26660
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 129.55950
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 52.22745
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 50.32709
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460040.35530
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 451.58

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 10
    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
2026-05-10 00:00 UT   15 10 31.9   -11 57 16    10.189   11.194  174.4    0.5   191   19.7 
2026-05-11 00:00 UT   15 10 06.4   -11 57 48    10.191   11.196  174.2    0.5   180   19.7 
2026-05-11 07:27 UT   15 09 58.4   -11 57 57    10.192   11.197  174.1    0.5   177   19.7 
2026-05-12 00:00 UT   15 09 40.8   -11 58 20    10.194   11.199  173.9    0.5   170   19.7 
2026-05-13 00:00 UT   15 09 15.3   -11 58 52    10.197   11.201  173.4    0.6   162   19.7 
2026-05-14 00:00 UT   15 08 49.8   -11 59 25    10.200   11.204  172.8    0.6   155   19.8 
2026-05-15 00:00 UT   15 08 24.4   -11 59 58    10.204   11.206  172.1    0.7   149   19.8 
2026-05-16 00:00 UT   15 07 59.0   -12 00 32    10.208   11.209  171.3    0.8   144   19.8 
2026-05-17 00:00 UT   15 07 33.7   -12 01 07    10.212   11.211  170.5    0.9   140   19.8 
2026-05-18 00:00 UT   15 07 08.4   -12 01 42    10.217   11.213  169.6    0.9   136   19.8 
2026-05-19 00:00 UT   15 06 43.2   -12 02 18    10.222   11.216  168.7    1.0   133   19.8 
2026-05-20 00:00 UT   15 06 18.0   -12 02 54    10.227   11.218  167.7    1.1   131   19.8 
2026-05-21 00:00 UT   15 05 53.0   -12 03 31    10.233   11.221  166.8    1.2   129   19.8 




    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.

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