C/2020 M5 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	19 Aug 2021	15.0	3.003 AU	3.628 AU	12h29m	+43°17'	45.2°	13.8°	60°
Nearest approach	2 Mar 2022	15.0	3.560 AU	2.601 AU	12h02m	+10°25'	162.7°	4.8°	260°
Today	26 Sep 2026	24.8	14.266 AU	14.596 AU	08h36m	-54°29'	68.9°	3.8°	240°

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 7.4 + 5 log[∆] + 10.0 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 M5 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0000220
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.0029570
    i (Inclination)                 : 93.14990
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 351.95950
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 126.26860
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 356.24234
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 53.61359
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459445.82420

    Epoch                           : 2026 Sep 25
    Reference                       : MPC194168

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-09-25 00:00 UT   08 36 04.1   -54 23 34    14.590   14.256   68.7    3.8   238   24.8 
2026-09-26 00:00 UT   08 36 14.9   -54 27 28    14.594   14.262   68.8    3.8   239   24.8 
2026-09-26 14:30 UT   08 36 21.3   -54 29 50    14.596   14.266   68.9    3.8   240   24.8 
2026-09-27 00:00 UT   08 36 25.4   -54 31 23    14.597   14.268   68.9    3.8   240   24.8 
2026-09-28 00:00 UT   08 36 35.5   -54 35 20    14.601   14.274   69.0    3.8   241   24.8 
2026-09-29 00:00 UT   08 36 45.2   -54 39 18    14.604   14.279   69.2    3.8   242   24.8 
2026-09-30 00:00 UT   08 36 54.6   -54 43 19    14.608   14.285   69.3    3.8   243   24.8 
2026-10-01 00:00 UT   08 37 03.6   -54 47 21    14.611   14.291   69.5    3.8   244   24.8 
2026-10-02 00:00 UT   08 37 12.2   -54 51 24    14.614   14.297   69.6    3.8   245   24.8 
2026-10-03 00:00 UT   08 37 20.5   -54 55 29    14.617   14.302   69.8    3.8   246   24.8 
2026-10-04 00:00 UT   08 37 28.3   -54 59 35    14.620   14.308   69.9    3.8   247   24.8 
2026-10-05 00:00 UT   08 37 35.8   -55 03 43    14.623   14.314   70.1    3.8   248   24.8 
2026-10-06 00:00 UT   08 37 42.8   -55 07 52    14.626   14.319   70.3    3.8   249   24.8 

    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.