C/2020 F2 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	19 Apr 2022	18.0	8.828 AU	7.845 AU	14h00m	+01°18'	167.2°	1.4°	193°
Perihelion	11 Jul 2022	18.2	8.814 AU	8.803 AU	13h19m	+04°46'	87.3°	6.6°	112°
Today	1 Apr 2026	20.0	11.682 AU	11.078 AU	09h44m	+31°04'	125.1°	4.0°	122°

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 4.1 + 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/2020 F2 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0013920
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 8.8143540
    i (Inclination)                 : 163.59020
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 250.29260
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 48.22110
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 203.25779
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 12.16164
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459772.37060

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 31
    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
2026-03-31 00:00 UT   09 45 14.3   +31 03 48    11.059   11.678  126.3    4.0   123   20.0 
2026-04-01 00:00 UT   09 44 49.4   +31 04 16    11.076   11.682  125.3    4.0   122   20.0 
2026-04-01 03:01 UT   09 44 46.3   +31 04 19    11.078   11.682  125.1    4.0   122   20.0 
2026-04-02 00:00 UT   09 44 24.8   +31 04 40    11.093   11.685  124.3    4.1   122   20.0 
2026-04-03 00:00 UT   09 44 00.7   +31 05 02    11.110   11.689  123.3    4.1   121   20.0 
2026-04-04 00:00 UT   09 43 36.9   +31 05 21    11.128   11.692  122.3    4.1   121   20.0 
2026-04-05 00:00 UT   09 43 13.5   +31 05 37    11.145   11.696  121.2    4.2   120   20.0 
2026-04-06 00:00 UT   09 42 50.5   +31 05 50    11.163   11.699  120.2    4.2   120   20.0 
2026-04-07 00:00 UT   09 42 27.8   +31 06 01    11.181   11.703  119.2    4.3   119   20.0 
2026-04-08 00:00 UT   09 42 05.6   +31 06 10    11.199   11.707  118.2    4.3   119   20.0 
2026-04-09 00:00 UT   09 41 43.8   +31 06 16    11.218   11.710  117.2    4.4   119   20.0 
2026-04-10 00:00 UT   09 41 22.3   +31 06 19    11.236   11.714  116.2    4.4   118   20.0 
2026-04-11 00:00 UT   09 41 01.3   +31 06 20    11.254   11.717  115.2    4.4   118   20.0 

    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.