C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Perihelion | 17 Mar 2020 | 8.1 | 0.826 AU | 1.471 AU | 00h09m | +30°47' | 32.4° | 40.2° | 10° |
Nearest approach | 3 May 2020 | 9.8 | 1.194 AU | 1.093 AU | 06h10m | +81°49' | 69.1° | 52.1° | 54° |
Today | 17 Oct 2025 | 32.8 | 16.551 AU | 17.367 AU | 13h44m | -43°17' | 34.0° | 1.9° | 173° |
C/2019 Y1 (ATLAS)- 2025-10-17
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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 8.5 + 5 log[∆] + 14.9 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 Y1 (ATLAS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9906480
q (Perihelion distance) : 0.8262440
i (Inclination) : 73.24730
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 31.45560
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 57.92150
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 56.15233
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 54.22893
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458925.83650
P (Orbital period in years) : 830.44
Epoch : 2025 Oct 16
Reference : MPC119999
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years); Liller
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-10-16 00:00 UT 13 44 23.8 -43 14 56 17.349 16.541 34.8 2.0 171 32.8
2025-10-17 00:00 UT 13 44 41.2 -43 16 08 17.359 16.546 34.4 1.9 172 32.8
2025-10-17 19:49 UT 13 44 55.6 -43 17 08 17.367 16.551 34.0 1.9 173 32.8
2025-10-18 00:00 UT 13 44 58.6 -43 17 21 17.369 16.552 33.9 1.9 174 32.8
2025-10-19 00:00 UT 13 45 16.1 -43 18 36 17.378 16.557 33.5 1.9 175 32.8
2025-10-20 00:00 UT 13 45 33.5 -43 19 53 17.387 16.563 33.1 1.9 177 32.8
2025-10-21 00:00 UT 13 45 50.9 -43 21 12 17.396 16.568 32.8 1.9 178 32.8
2025-10-22 00:00 UT 13 46 08.4 -43 22 32 17.405 16.574 32.4 1.8 180 32.8
2025-10-23 00:00 UT 13 46 25.8 -43 23 54 17.413 16.579 32.1 1.8 181 32.8
2025-10-24 00:00 UT 13 46 43.2 -43 25 17 17.421 16.585 31.8 1.8 183 32.8
2025-10-25 00:00 UT 13 47 00.6 -43 26 42 17.429 16.590 31.5 1.8 185 32.8
2025-10-26 00:00 UT 13 47 18.0 -43 28 09 17.437 16.596 31.3 1.8 187 32.8
2025-10-27 00:00 UT 13 47 35.4 -43 29 37 17.445 16.601 31.0 1.8 188 32.8
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.