C/2020 K8 (Catalina-ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	15 Aug 2020	14.9	0.871 AU	0.573 AU	05h31m	+27°00'	59.2°	86.4°	269°
Perihelion	15 Sep 2020	15.5	0.473 AU	1.090 AU	09h53m	-00°49'	25.7°	67.2°	262°
Today	11 Oct 2026	26.3	18.268 AU	18.949 AU	16h01m	+06°06'	45.9°	2.2°	74°

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 16.2 + 5 log[∆] + 2.9 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 K8 (Catalina-ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0003650
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.4731330
    i (Inclination)                 : 31.29930
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 181.12570
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 260.35640
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 259.87851
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -30.80831
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459108.38430

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194168

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-10-10 00:00 UT   16 01 11.7   +06 07 54    18.929   18.261   46.9    2.3    75   26.3 
2026-10-11 00:00 UT   16 01 21.3   +06 06 33    18.944   18.267   46.1    2.3    74   26.3 
2026-10-11 07:23 UT   16 01 24.2   +06 06 08    18.949   18.268   45.9    2.2    74   26.3 
2026-10-12 00:00 UT   16 01 31.0   +06 05 12    18.959   18.272   45.4    2.2    74   26.3 
2026-10-13 00:00 UT   16 01 40.9   +06 03 52    18.974   18.278   44.6    2.2    73   26.3 
2026-10-14 00:00 UT   16 01 50.9   +06 02 33    18.989   18.283   43.9    2.2    72   26.3 
2026-10-15 00:00 UT   16 02 01.0   +06 01 15    19.003   18.289   43.2    2.1    71   26.3 
2026-10-16 00:00 UT   16 02 11.3   +05 59 57    19.018   18.295   42.4    2.1    70   26.3 
2026-10-17 00:00 UT   16 02 21.6   +05 58 41    19.032   18.300   41.7    2.1    69   26.3 
2026-10-18 00:00 UT   16 02 32.1   +05 57 25    19.046   18.306   41.0    2.0    68   26.3 
2026-10-19 00:00 UT   16 02 42.7   +05 56 10    19.059   18.312   40.3    2.0    67   26.3 
2026-10-20 00:00 UT   16 02 53.5   +05 54 56    19.073   18.317   39.6    2.0    66   26.3 
2026-10-21 00:00 UT   16 03 04.3   +05 53 43    19.086   18.323   38.9    2.0    65   26.3 

    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.