C/2020 O2 (Amaral) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Nearest approach | 10 Jun 2021 | 15.4 | 4.894 AU | 3.880 AU | 16h59m | -22°33' | 176.2° | 0.8° | 98° |
Perihelion | 27 Aug 2021 | 15.7 | 4.857 AU | 4.683 AU | 16h30m | -11°43' | 93.9° | 12.0° | 99° |
Today | 5 Jul 2025 | 21.2 | 11.008 AU | 11.179 AU | 23h05m | +70°05' | 77.7° | 5.2° | 236° |
C/2020 O2 (Amaral)- 2025-07-05
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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.)
The orbital elements of C/2020 O2 (Amaral) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9996050
q (Perihelion distance) : 4.8565810
i (Inclination) : 71.76230
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 256.79130
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 10.17410
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 260.00590
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 9.65799
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459453.77870
Epoch : 2025 Jul 05
Reference : MPEC 2024-JU4
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC.
The gray curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from the original MPEC, or the latest values provided by the MPC (8.00 + 5 log[∆] + 8.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.52 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]).
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.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.
The following chart shows the current location of the comet in a smaller, upside-down telescopic field of view.
A printable version of the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Ephemerides:
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-07-05 00:00 UT 23 05 33.0 +70 01 30 11.179 11.003 77.4 5.2 237 21.2
2025-07-05 23:31 UT 23 05 22.4 +70 05 46 11.179 11.008 77.7 5.2 236 21.2
2025-07-06 00:00 UT 23 05 22.2 +70 05 51 11.179 11.008 77.7 5.2 236 21.2
2025-07-07 00:00 UT 23 05 10.5 +70 10 09 11.178 11.014 78.1 5.2 235 21.2
2025-07-08 00:00 UT 23 04 58.0 +70 14 23 11.177 11.019 78.5 5.2 234 21.2
2025-07-09 00:00 UT 23 04 44.5 +70 18 35 11.176 11.024 78.8 5.2 233 21.2
2025-07-10 00:00 UT 23 04 30.1 +70 22 43 11.175 11.030 79.2 5.2 232 21.2
2025-07-11 00:00 UT 23 04 14.8 +70 26 49 11.174 11.035 79.5 5.2 231 21.2
2025-07-12 00:00 UT 23 03 58.6 +70 30 51 11.173 11.041 79.9 5.2 230 21.2
2025-07-13 00:00 UT 23 03 41.5 +70 34 49 11.172 11.046 80.3 5.2 229 21.2
2025-07-14 00:00 UT 23 03 23.4 +70 38 45 11.171 11.052 80.7 5.2 228 21.2
2025-07-15 00:00 UT 23 03 04.5 +70 42 36 11.170 11.057 81.0 5.2 228 21.2
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.