A/2020 B1 |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Perihelion | 27 Dec 2019 | 22.6 | 1.739 AU | 0.812 AU | 08h22m | +36°42' | 151.1° | 15.9° | 251° |
Nearest approach | 13 Jan 2020 | 22.2 | 1.753 AU | 0.780 AU | 08h16m | +30°42' | 167.2° | 7.1° | 227° |
Today | 12 Jul 2025 | 33.1 | 15.422 AU | 14.694 AU | 16h05m | -38°14' | 134.3° | 2.7° | 84° |
A/2020 B1- 2025-07-12
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.)
The orbital elements of A/2020 B1 are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9666120
q (Perihelion distance) : 1.7392410
i (Inclination) : 18.54070
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 309.80200
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 154.88060
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 285.83623
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 7.75768
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458845.16120
P (Orbital period in years) : 375.97
Epoch : 2025 Jul 11
Reference : MPEC 2020-N08
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC.
The gray curve indicates the expected brightness if this object is a comet (21.00 + 5 log[∆] + 5.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve indicates the expected lightcurve for an asteroid (H=21.00; G=.15).
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.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.
The following chart shows the current location of the comet in a smaller, upside-down telescopic field of view.
A printable version of the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Ephemerides:
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-07-12 00:00 UT 16 06 02.8 -38 14 45 14.687 15.420 134.7 2.7 84 33.1
2025-07-12 09:46 UT 16 05 58.4 -38 14 13 14.694 15.422 134.3 2.7 84 33.1
2025-07-13 00:00 UT 16 05 52.0 -38 13 25 14.704 15.425 133.8 2.7 84 33.1
2025-07-14 00:00 UT 16 05 41.4 -38 12 05 14.720 15.430 132.9 2.8 85 33.1
2025-07-15 00:00 UT 16 05 31.1 -38 10 45 14.737 15.436 132.0 2.8 86 33.1
2025-07-16 00:00 UT 16 05 21.1 -38 09 25 14.754 15.441 131.1 2.8 86 33.1
2025-07-17 00:00 UT 16 05 11.4 -38 08 04 14.771 15.446 130.2 2.9 87 33.1
2025-07-18 00:00 UT 16 05 02.0 -38 06 44 14.788 15.452 129.2 2.9 87 33.1
2025-07-19 00:00 UT 16 04 52.8 -38 05 24 14.806 15.457 128.3 3.0 88 33.1
2025-07-20 00:00 UT 16 04 44.0 -38 04 03 14.823 15.462 127.4 3.0 88 33.1
2025-07-21 00:00 UT 16 04 35.4 -38 02 43 14.841 15.468 126.5 3.0 89 33.1
2025-07-22 00:00 UT 16 04 27.1 -38 01 22 14.859 15.473 125.6 3.1 89 33.1
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.