|
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 | 13 Dec 2025 | 25.9 | 16.524 AU | 17.339 AU | 16h10m | +05°04' | 33.1° | 1.9° | 329° |
C/2020 K8 (Catalina-ATLAS)- 2025-12-13
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
2025-12-12 00:00 UT 16 09 49.3 +05 04 06 17.339 16.517 32.4 1.8 331 25.9
2025-12-13 00:00 UT 16 10 03.1 +05 04 02 17.339 16.523 33.0 1.9 329 25.9
2025-12-13 03:36 UT 16 10 05.2 +05 04 01 17.339 16.524 33.1 1.9 329 25.9
2025-12-14 00:00 UT 16 10 16.9 +05 03 59 17.339 16.529 33.6 1.9 328 25.9
2025-12-15 00:00 UT 16 10 30.7 +05 03 58 17.339 16.535 34.2 1.9 327 25.9
2025-12-16 00:00 UT 16 10 44.3 +05 03 58 17.339 16.541 34.8 1.9 325 25.9
2025-12-17 00:00 UT 16 10 57.9 +05 04 00 17.338 16.547 35.5 2.0 324 25.9
2025-12-18 00:00 UT 16 11 11.3 +05 04 04 17.337 16.552 36.1 2.0 323 25.9
2025-12-19 00:00 UT 16 11 24.7 +05 04 10 17.336 16.558 36.8 2.0 322 25.9
2025-12-20 00:00 UT 16 11 38.1 +05 04 17 17.334 16.564 37.4 2.1 321 25.9
2025-12-21 00:00 UT 16 11 51.3 +05 04 26 17.332 16.570 38.1 2.1 319 25.9
2025-12-22 00:00 UT 16 12 04.4 +05 04 37 17.330 16.576 38.8 2.1 318 25.9
2025-12-23 00:00 UT 16 12 17.4 +05 04 50 17.328 16.582 39.5 2.2 317 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.
