C/2020 O2 (Amaral)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	10 Jun 2021	15.4	4.890 AU	3.877 AU	16h59m	-22°33'	176.2°	0.8°	98°
Perihelion	26 Aug 2021	15.7	4.853 AU	4.673 AU	16h30m	-11°45'	94.2°	12.0°	100°
Today	13 Mar 2026	22.0	12.369 AU	12.727 AU	23h21m	+63°44'	66.8°	4.2°	357°

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 5.5 + 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 O2 (Amaral) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9990760
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.8532230
    i (Inclination)                 : 71.76610
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 256.78050
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 10.12600
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 259.97897
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 9.61259
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459453.36040
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 380660.15

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 12
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-12 00:00 UT   23 20 22.9   +63 43 27    12.711   12.362   67.3    4.3   358   22.0 
2026-03-13 00:00 UT   23 21 12.3   +63 44 27    12.722   12.367   66.9    4.2   357   22.0 
2026-03-13 09:16 UT   23 21 31.3   +63 44 51    12.727   12.369   66.8    4.2   357   22.0 
2026-03-14 00:00 UT   23 22 01.6   +63 45 30    12.734   12.372   66.6    4.2   357   22.0 
2026-03-15 00:00 UT   23 22 50.9   +63 46 36    12.745   12.378   66.2    4.2   356   22.0 
2026-03-16 00:00 UT   23 23 40.2   +63 47 45    12.756   12.383   65.9    4.2   355   22.0 
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   23 24 29.3   +63 48 58    12.768   12.389   65.5    4.2   354   22.0 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   23 25 18.4   +63 50 14    12.779   12.394   65.2    4.2   353   22.0 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   23 26 07.4   +63 51 33    12.790   12.399   64.8    4.2   353   22.0 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   23 26 56.3   +63 52 56    12.800   12.405   64.5    4.2   352   22.0 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   23 27 45.1   +63 54 21    12.811   12.410   64.2    4.1   351   22.0 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   23 28 33.8   +63 55 50    12.822   12.416   63.9    4.1   350   22.0 
2026-03-23 00:00 UT   23 29 22.4   +63 57 21    12.832   12.421   63.5    4.1   349   22.0 

    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.