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	3.559 AU	2.601 AU	12h02m	+10°25'	162.7°	4.8°	260°
Today	15 Aug 2026	24.7	14.022 AU	14.364 AU	08h24m	-52°18'	68.3°	3.8°	199°

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)                : 1.0000280
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.0025840
    i (Inclination)                 : 93.15140
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 351.96400
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 126.26550
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 356.24936
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 53.61656
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459445.87270

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 13
    Reference                       : MPC194168

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-08-14 00:00 UT   08 24 23.0   -52 16 34    14.355   14.015   68.4    3.9   198   24.7 
2026-08-15 00:00 UT   08 24 43.7   -52 18 36    14.363   14.021   68.3    3.8   199   24.7 
2026-08-15 02:46 UT   08 24 46.1   -52 18 50    14.364   14.022   68.3    3.8   199   24.7 
2026-08-16 00:00 UT   08 25 04.3   -52 20 41    14.370   14.027   68.2    3.8   200   24.7 
2026-08-17 00:00 UT   08 25 24.8   -52 22 49    14.377   14.033   68.1    3.8   201   24.7 
2026-08-18 00:00 UT   08 25 45.2   -52 25 01    14.385   14.038   68.1    3.8   202   24.7 
2026-08-19 00:00 UT   08 26 05.4   -52 27 16    14.392   14.044   68.0    3.8   203   24.7 
2026-08-20 00:00 UT   08 26 25.4   -52 29 34    14.399   14.050   67.9    3.8   204   24.7 
2026-08-21 00:00 UT   08 26 45.3   -52 31 55    14.406   14.056   67.8    3.8   204   24.7 
2026-08-22 00:00 UT   08 27 05.0   -52 34 20    14.413   14.061   67.7    3.8   205   24.7 
2026-08-23 00:00 UT   08 27 24.6   -52 36 47    14.419   14.067   67.7    3.8   206   24.7 
2026-08-24 00:00 UT   08 27 44.0   -52 39 18    14.426   14.073   67.6    3.8   207   24.7 
2026-08-25 00:00 UT   08 28 03.3   -52 41 52    14.433   14.079   67.6    3.8   208   24.7 

    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.