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C/2019 Q1 (Lemmon)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion22 Jul 202018.74.998 AU4.442 AU 23h20m+20°28'117.9°10.3°232°
Nearest approach3 Sep 202018.65.009 AU4.086 AU 22h19m+17°55'153.5°5.2°163°
Today10 Apr 202625.914.614 AU13.828 AU 15h53m-13°27'140.4°2.5°274°
C/2019 Q1 (Lemmon)- 2026-04-10
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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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 light curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from an MPEC, or the latest values provided by the minor planet center. (8.5 + 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 Q1 (Lemmon) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0025290
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.9983880
    i (Inclination)                 : 155.70770
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 42.47740
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 56.23200
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 348.74065
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 19.99804
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459053.09950

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 09
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-09 00:00 UT   15 53 51.1   -13 28 42    13.835   14.608  139.1    2.6   274   25.9 
2026-04-10 00:00 UT   15 53 34.5   -13 27 52    13.829   14.613  140.2    2.5   274   25.9 
2026-04-10 04:48 UT   15 53 31.1   -13 27 43    13.828   14.614  140.4    2.5   274   25.9 
2026-04-11 00:00 UT   15 53 17.6   -13 27 03    13.823   14.618  141.2    2.5   274   25.9 
2026-04-12 00:00 UT   15 53 00.5   -13 26 13    13.818   14.623  142.2    2.4   274   25.9 
2026-04-13 00:00 UT   15 52 43.2   -13 25 23    13.812   14.628  143.3    2.3   273   25.9 
2026-04-14 00:00 UT   15 52 25.7   -13 24 33    13.807   14.634  144.3    2.3   273   25.9 
2026-04-15 00:00 UT   15 52 08.1   -13 23 42    13.802   14.639  145.3    2.2   273   25.9 
2026-04-16 00:00 UT   15 51 50.2   -13 22 52    13.798   14.644  146.4    2.2   272   25.9 
2026-04-17 00:00 UT   15 51 32.2   -13 22 01    13.793   14.649  147.4    2.1   272   25.9 
2026-04-18 00:00 UT   15 51 14.0   -13 21 10    13.789   14.654  148.4    2.1   271   25.9 
2026-04-19 00:00 UT   15 50 55.7   -13 20 18    13.785   14.660  149.5    2.0   271   25.9 
2026-04-20 00:00 UT   15 50 37.2   -13 19 27    13.782   14.665  150.5    1.9   271   25.9 




    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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