C/2020 P1 (NEOWISE)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	14 Oct 2020	6.2	0.401 AU	0.656 AU	12h41m	-20°29'	15.0°	139.9°	216°
Perihelion	21 Oct 2020	6.1	0.343 AU	0.729 AU	12h55m	-02°42'	14.6°	133.1°	304°
Today	11 Mar 2026	30.5	16.974 AU	16.470 AU	15h20m	-12°46'	119.0°	2.9°	282°

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 12.1 + 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 P1 (NEOWISE) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0004560
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.3431520
    i (Inclination)                 : 45.06970
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 53.50420
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 8.95660
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 59.85565
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 6.32804
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459143.81230

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 10
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-10 00:00 UT   15 20 51.4   -12 47 28    16.482   16.967  117.7    3.0   282   30.5 
2026-03-11 00:00 UT   15 20 45.2   -12 46 54    16.472   16.973  118.8    2.9   282   30.5 
2026-03-11 04:53 UT   15 20 43.9   -12 46 46    16.470   16.974  119.0    2.9   282   30.5 
2026-03-12 00:00 UT   15 20 38.8   -12 46 18    16.463   16.979  119.8    2.9   282   30.5 
2026-03-13 00:00 UT   15 20 32.1   -12 45 41    16.454   16.985  120.8    2.9   282   30.5 
2026-03-14 00:00 UT   15 20 25.3   -12 45 04    16.445   16.991  121.8    2.8   281   30.5 
2026-03-15 00:00 UT   15 20 18.2   -12 44 27    16.436   16.997  122.8    2.8   281   30.5 
2026-03-16 00:00 UT   15 20 10.9   -12 43 48    16.428   17.002  123.9    2.8   281   30.5 
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   15 20 03.4   -12 43 09    16.419   17.008  124.9    2.8   281   30.5 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   15 19 55.6   -12 42 29    16.411   17.014  125.9    2.7   281   30.5 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   15 19 47.7   -12 41 49    16.403   17.020  126.9    2.7   281   30.5 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   15 19 39.5   -12 41 08    16.395   17.026  128.0    2.6   281   30.5 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   15 19 31.1   -12 40 26    16.387   17.032  129.0    2.6   280   30.5 

    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.