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	12 Sep 2026	24.8	14.185 AU	14.537 AU	08h33m	-53°37'	67.6°	3.8°	226°

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)                : 1.0000240
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.0028440
    i (Inclination)                 : 93.15040
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 351.96100
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 126.26770
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 356.24466
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 53.61445
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459445.83960

    Epoch                           : 2026 Sep 11
    Reference                       : MPC194168

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-09-11 00:00 UT   08 32 58.7   -53 32 41    14.530   14.176   67.5    3.8   225   24.8 
2026-09-12 00:00 UT   08 33 13.9   -53 36 05    14.535   14.182   67.6    3.8   226   24.8 
2026-09-12 11:29 UT   08 33 21.0   -53 37 43    14.537   14.185   67.6    3.8   226   24.8 
2026-09-13 00:00 UT   08 33 28.8   -53 39 31    14.540   14.188   67.6    3.8   227   24.8 
2026-09-14 00:00 UT   08 33 43.4   -53 42 59    14.545   14.193   67.7    3.8   228   24.8 
2026-09-15 00:00 UT   08 33 57.8   -53 46 30    14.549   14.199   67.7    3.8   229   24.8 
2026-09-16 00:00 UT   08 34 11.8   -53 50 02    14.554   14.205   67.8    3.8   230   24.8 
2026-09-17 00:00 UT   08 34 25.6   -53 53 38    14.558   14.211   67.9    3.8   230   24.8 
2026-09-18 00:00 UT   08 34 39.0   -53 57 15    14.562   14.216   68.0    3.8   231   24.8 
2026-09-19 00:00 UT   08 34 52.2   -54 00 54    14.567   14.222   68.0    3.8   232   24.8 
2026-09-20 00:00 UT   08 35 05.0   -54 04 36    14.571   14.228   68.1    3.8   233   24.8 
2026-09-21 00:00 UT   08 35 17.5   -54 08 20    14.575   14.234   68.2    3.8   234   24.8 
2026-09-22 00:00 UT   08 35 29.6   -54 12 06    14.579   14.239   68.3    3.8   235   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.