C/2020 H6 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	30 Apr 2021	15.6	4.847 AU	3.847 AU	13h58m	-12°26'	172.3°	1.6°	108°
Perihelion	29 Sep 2021	16.2	4.695 AU	5.533 AU	14h20m	+03°41'	30.3°	6.2°	79°
Today	27 Aug 2026	22.9	13.118 AU	12.722 AU	23h22m	+58°03'	111.0°	4.1°	195°

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 5.1 + 5 log[∆] + 11.0 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 H6 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9973090
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.6952140
    i (Inclination)                 : 80.01540
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 213.65020
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 20.17210
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 217.29484
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 19.85362
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459486.80870
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 72880.70

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 27
    Reference                       : MPC194167

    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
2026-08-26 00:00 UT   23 22 46.1   +58 04 23    12.727   13.108  110.0    4.2   197   22.9 
2026-08-27 00:00 UT   23 22 21.8   +58 03 58    12.725   13.114  110.5    4.1   196   22.9 
2026-08-27 21:01 UT   23 22 00.4   +58 03 32    12.722   13.118  111.0    4.1   195   22.9 
2026-08-28 00:00 UT   23 21 57.4   +58 03 28    12.722   13.119  111.0    4.1   195   22.9 
2026-08-29 00:00 UT   23 21 32.8   +58 02 54    12.720   13.124  111.5    4.1   194   22.9 
2026-08-30 00:00 UT   23 21 08.1   +58 02 16    12.717   13.130  112.0    4.1   193   22.9 
2026-08-31 00:00 UT   23 20 43.3   +58 01 33    12.715   13.135  112.5    4.1   192   22.9 
2026-09-01 00:00 UT   23 20 18.3   +58 00 45    12.713   13.141  113.0    4.1   191   22.9 
2026-09-02 00:00 UT   23 19 53.3   +57 59 53    12.711   13.146  113.5    4.0   190   22.9 
2026-09-03 00:00 UT   23 19 28.2   +57 58 56    12.709   13.151  113.9    4.0   189   22.9 
2026-09-04 00:00 UT   23 19 03.0   +57 57 55    12.708   13.157  114.4    4.0   188   22.9 
2026-09-05 00:00 UT   23 18 37.8   +57 56 49    12.706   13.162  114.8    4.0   187   22.9 
2026-09-06 00:00 UT   23 18 12.5   +57 55 39    12.705   13.167  115.3    4.0   186   22.9 

    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.