C/2020 M5 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	19 Aug 2021	15.0	3.002 AU	3.628 AU	12h29m	+43°16'	45.2°	13.8°	59°
Nearest approach	2 Mar 2022	15.0	3.558 AU	2.600 AU	12h02m	+10°26'	162.6°	4.8°	260°
Today	5 Jun 2026	24.5	13.614 AU	13.660 AU	08h00m	-52°20'	85.3°	4.3°	138°

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)                : 1.0000370
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.0018060
    i (Inclination)                 : 93.15390
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 351.97100
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 126.25850
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 356.26083
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 53.62335
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459445.96300

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jun 04
    Reference                       : MPC194168

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-06-04 00:00 UT   08 00 06.8   -52 24 25    13.640   13.604   85.8    4.3   136   24.5 
2026-06-05 00:00 UT   08 00 22.5   -52 22 14    13.652   13.610   85.5    4.3   137   24.5 
2026-06-05 16:42 UT   08 00 33.6   -52 20 44    13.660   13.614   85.3    4.3   138   24.5 
2026-06-06 00:00 UT   08 00 38.5   -52 20 06    13.663   13.616   85.2    4.3   138   24.5 
2026-06-07 00:00 UT   08 00 54.7   -52 18 01    13.675   13.622   84.8    4.3   139   24.5 
2026-06-08 00:00 UT   08 01 11.2   -52 15 60    13.687   13.627   84.5    4.3   139   24.5 
2026-06-09 00:00 UT   08 01 28.0   -52 14 02    13.698   13.633   84.2    4.2   140   24.5 
2026-06-10 00:00 UT   08 01 44.9   -52 12 07    13.710   13.639   83.9    4.2   141   24.5 
2026-06-11 00:00 UT   08 02 02.2   -52 10 15    13.721   13.645   83.5    4.2   142   24.5 
2026-06-12 00:00 UT   08 02 19.6   -52 08 28    13.733   13.651   83.2    4.2   143   24.5 
2026-06-13 00:00 UT   08 02 37.3   -52 06 43    13.744   13.656   82.9    4.2   144   24.5 
2026-06-14 00:00 UT   08 02 55.3   -52 05 02    13.756   13.662   82.6    4.2   145   24.5 
2026-06-15 00:00 UT   08 03 13.4   -52 03 24    13.767   13.668   82.3    4.2   145   24.5 

    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.