C/2020 F5 (MASTER)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	15 Mar 2021	15.2	4.322 AU	4.992 AU	22h37m	-42°45'	43.2°	9.1°	204°
Nearest approach	22 Aug 2021	14.7	4.512 AU	3.583 AU	23h14m	-32°47'	153.6°	5.7°	318°
Today	9 Aug 2026	22.3	14.012 AU	13.993 AU	01h31m	+59°34'	89.0°	4.1°	239°

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 5.7 + 5 log[∆] + 9.6 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 F5 (MASTER) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9730840
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.3216200
    i (Inclination)                 : 52.25090
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 350.58380
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 310.52350
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 314.97338
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -36.94454
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459289.19240
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 2034.48

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 09
    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
2026-08-08 00:00 UT   01 31 27.8   +59 28 58    14.005   14.003   87.8    4.1   241   22.3 
2026-08-09 00:00 UT   01 31 19.8   +59 32 16    13.998   14.008   88.5    4.1   240   22.3 
2026-08-09 18:20 UT   01 31 13.4   +59 34 45    13.993   14.012   89.0    4.1   239   22.3 
2026-08-10 00:00 UT   01 31 11.3   +59 35 32    13.992   14.014   89.1    4.1   239   22.3 
2026-08-11 00:00 UT   01 31 02.3   +59 38 45    13.985   14.019   89.8    4.1   239   22.3 
2026-08-12 00:00 UT   01 30 52.7   +59 41 57    13.979   14.024   90.5    4.1   238   22.4 
2026-08-13 00:00 UT   01 30 42.7   +59 45 07    13.972   14.029   91.1    4.1   237   22.4 
2026-08-14 00:00 UT   01 30 32.1   +59 48 14    13.966   14.035   91.8    4.1   236   22.4 
2026-08-15 00:00 UT   01 30 21.0   +59 51 20    13.960   14.040   92.4    4.1   236   22.4 
2026-08-16 00:00 UT   01 30 09.3   +59 54 22    13.953   14.045   93.1    4.1   235   22.4 
2026-08-17 00:00 UT   01 29 57.2   +59 57 23    13.947   14.050   93.8    4.1   234   22.4 
2026-08-18 00:00 UT   01 29 44.6   +60 00 21    13.941   14.056   94.4    4.1   233   22.4 
2026-08-19 00:00 UT   01 29 31.4   +60 03 17    13.935   14.061   95.1    4.1   233   22.4 

    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.