C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	5 Jul 2020	1.7	0.293 AU	1.147 AU	06h05m	+30°18'	13.9°	56.7°	300°
Nearest approach	24 Jul 2020	3.6	0.619 AU	0.698 AU	10h28m	+43°50'	36.8°	100.7°	60°
Today	27 Apr 2026	25.5	17.799 AU	16.855 AU	14h32m	-34°27'	159.0°	1.2°	350°

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 6.7 + 5 log[∆] + 10.1 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 F3 (NEOWISE) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9992910
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.2928510
    i (Inclination)                 : 129.06250
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 61.04480
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 37.28650
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 35.41196
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 28.05894
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459035.79180
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 8394.61

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    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
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   14 32 57.1   -34 28 26    16.852   17.792  158.4    1.2   346   25.5 
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   14 32 40.4   -34 27 34    16.854   17.797  158.9    1.2   349   25.5 
2026-04-27 06:01 UT   14 32 36.2   -34 27 21    16.855   17.799  159.0    1.2   350   25.5 
2026-04-28 00:00 UT   14 32 23.7   -34 26 42    16.857   17.803  159.3    1.1   351   25.5 
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   14 32 07.1   -34 25 47    16.860   17.809  159.8    1.1   354   25.5 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   14 31 50.4   -34 24 52    16.863   17.814  160.2    1.1   357   25.5 
2026-05-01 00:00 UT   14 31 33.8   -34 23 55    16.867   17.820  160.5    1.1   360   25.5 
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   14 31 17.1   -34 22 57    16.870   17.826  160.8    1.1     3   25.5 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   14 31 00.5   -34 21 57    16.874   17.831  161.0    1.1     6   25.5 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   14 30 43.9   -34 20 56    16.879   17.837  161.2    1.0     9   25.5 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   14 30 27.4   -34 19 54    16.883   17.843  161.4    1.0    12   25.5 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   14 30 10.8   -34 18 51    16.888   17.848  161.5    1.0    16   25.5 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   14 29 54.3   -34 17 47    16.894   17.854  161.5    1.0    19   25.5 

    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.