|
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°10' | 59.1° | 86.5° | 270° |
| Perihelion | 15 Sep 2020 | 15.5 | 0.472 AU | 1.089 AU | 09h53m | -00°49' | 25.6° | 67.2° | 262° |
| Today | 9 Jan 2026 | 25.9 | 16.688 AU | 17.255 AU | 16h15m | +05°13' | 53.4° | 2.7° | 302° |
C/2020 K8 (Catalina-ATLAS)- 2026-01-09
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 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) : 1.0003390
q (Perihelion distance) : 0.4720360
i (Inclination) : 31.36170
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 181.23510
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 260.23210
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 259.83659
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -30.85680
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459108.31430
Epoch : 2025 Nov 12
Reference : MPEC 2021-P47
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-01-08 00:00 UT 16 15 29.7 +05 11 56 17.266 16.676 51.8 2.7 304 25.9
2026-01-09 00:00 UT 16 15 40.6 +05 12 37 17.260 16.682 52.6 2.7 303 25.9
2026-01-09 22:50 UT 16 15 50.8 +05 13 17 17.255 16.688 53.4 2.7 302 25.9
2026-01-10 00:00 UT 16 15 51.3 +05 13 19 17.254 16.688 53.5 2.7 302 25.9
2026-01-11 00:00 UT 16 16 01.8 +05 14 03 17.248 16.694 54.3 2.7 302 25.9
2026-01-12 00:00 UT 16 16 12.2 +05 14 48 17.242 16.700 55.1 2.8 301 25.9
2026-01-13 00:00 UT 16 16 22.4 +05 15 35 17.236 16.706 56.0 2.8 301 25.9
2026-01-14 00:00 UT 16 16 32.5 +05 16 24 17.230 16.712 56.8 2.8 300 25.9
2026-01-15 00:00 UT 16 16 42.4 +05 17 14 17.223 16.718 57.6 2.8 299 25.9
2026-01-16 00:00 UT 16 16 52.1 +05 18 06 17.216 16.723 58.5 2.9 299 25.9
2026-01-17 00:00 UT 16 17 01.6 +05 18 59 17.209 16.729 59.3 2.9 298 25.9
2026-01-18 00:00 UT 16 17 11.0 +05 19 54 17.202 16.735 60.2 2.9 298 25.9
2026-01-19 00:00 UT 16 17 20.1 +05 20 50 17.195 16.741 61.0 2.9 297 25.9
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.
