C/2020 J1 (SONEAR) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Perihelion | 17 Apr 2021 | 12.9 | 3.344 AU | 2.589 AU | 16h42m | -36°51' | 131.9° | 12.9° | 291° |
Nearest approach | 16 May 2021 | 12.8 | 3.355 AU | 2.356 AU | 15h24m | -29°18' | 169.7° | 3.1° | 13° |
Today | 15 Oct 2025 | 23.5 | 12.794 AU | 12.991 AU | 09h46m | +52°21' | 76.4° | 4.3° | 305° |
C/2020 J1 (SONEAR)- 2025-10-15
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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 4.5 + 5 log[∆] + 12.2 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 J1 (SONEAR) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9994770
q (Perihelion distance) : 3.3442570
i (Inclination) : 142.30820
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 226.57630
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 341.55420
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 241.36160
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -11.15453
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459322.36490
P (Orbital period in years) : 511324.89
Epoch : 2025 Oct 14
Reference : MPEC 2023-KD6
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
2025-10-15 00:00 UT 09 46 15.8 +52 20 07 12.997 12.789 75.8 4.3 305 23.5
2025-10-15 19:25 UT 09 46 22.6 +52 21 55 12.991 12.794 76.4 4.3 305 23.5
2025-10-16 00:00 UT 09 46 24.2 +52 22 20 12.989 12.795 76.6 4.3 304 23.5
2025-10-17 00:00 UT 09 46 32.1 +52 24 36 12.981 12.801 77.4 4.4 304 23.5
2025-10-18 00:00 UT 09 46 39.7 +52 26 54 12.974 12.807 78.2 4.4 303 23.5
2025-10-19 00:00 UT 09 46 46.9 +52 29 15 12.966 12.813 79.0 4.4 303 23.5
2025-10-20 00:00 UT 09 46 53.7 +52 31 39 12.958 12.819 79.8 4.4 302 23.5
2025-10-21 00:00 UT 09 47 00.1 +52 34 05 12.950 12.824 80.6 4.4 302 23.5
2025-10-22 00:00 UT 09 47 06.0 +52 36 34 12.941 12.830 81.4 4.4 301 23.5
2025-10-23 00:00 UT 09 47 11.5 +52 39 06 12.933 12.836 82.2 4.4 300 23.5
2025-10-24 00:00 UT 09 47 16.6 +52 41 40 12.925 12.842 83.0 4.4 300 23.5
2025-10-25 00:00 UT 09 47 21.3 +52 44 17 12.917 12.848 83.8 4.4 299 23.5
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.