C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	5 Jul 2020	1.6	0.292 AU	1.147 AU	06h06m	+30°18'	13.9°	56.8°	300°
Nearest approach	24 Jul 2020	3.6	0.618 AU	0.699 AU	10h28m	+43°46'	36.7°	100.7°	60°
Today	17 Jul 2026	25.7	18.256 AU	17.926 AU	14h16m	-32°41'	107.4°	3.0°	104°

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)                : 0.9992940
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.2924170
    i (Inclination)                 : 129.02690
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 61.02560
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 37.26400
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 35.42807
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 28.05857
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459035.89920
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 8429.40

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194166

    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
2026-07-16 00:00 UT   14 16 45.8   -32 43 40    17.893   18.247  108.9    3.0   104   25.7 
2026-07-17 00:00 UT   14 16 42.3   -32 42 29    17.913   18.253  107.9    3.0   104   25.7 
2026-07-17 14:16 UT   14 16 40.3   -32 41 48    17.926   18.256  107.4    3.0   104   25.7 
2026-07-18 00:00 UT   14 16 39.0   -32 41 19    17.934   18.258  107.0    3.1   105   25.7 
2026-07-19 00:00 UT   14 16 36.0   -32 40 11    17.955   18.264  106.1    3.1   105   25.7 
2026-07-20 00:00 UT   14 16 33.2   -32 39 03    17.976   18.269  105.2    3.1   105   25.7 
2026-07-21 00:00 UT   14 16 30.7   -32 37 56    17.998   18.275  104.3    3.1   106   25.7 
2026-07-22 00:00 UT   14 16 28.4   -32 36 50    18.019   18.281  103.3    3.1   106   25.7 
2026-07-23 00:00 UT   14 16 26.3   -32 35 45    18.040   18.286  102.4    3.1   106   25.7 
2026-07-24 00:00 UT   14 16 24.6   -32 34 41    18.061   18.292  101.5    3.1   106   25.7 
2026-07-25 00:00 UT   14 16 23.0   -32 33 39    18.083   18.297  100.6    3.1   107   25.7 
2026-07-26 00:00 UT   14 16 21.8   -32 32 37    18.104   18.303   99.7    3.1   107   25.7 
2026-07-27 00:00 UT   14 16 20.7   -32 31 37    18.126   18.308   98.8    3.1   107   25.7 

    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.