C/2020 P3 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	7 Dec 2020	18.4	6.879 AU	6.394 AU	00h47m	+83°01'	115.7°	7.4°	114°
Perihelion	23 Apr 2021	18.6	6.820 AU	7.126 AU	04h06m	+79°15'	68.3°	7.9°	33°
Today	18 Jun 2026	22.8	13.334 AU	13.051 AU	12h52m	+03°10'	104.0°	4.2°	115°

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. The light curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from an MPEC, or the latest values provided by the minor planet center. (6.0 + 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 P3 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0039710
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 6.8195910
    i (Inclination)                 : 61.82280
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 19.49260
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 82.38470
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 93.68348
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 60.89348
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459327.74970

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jun 17
    Reference                       : MPC194169

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-06-17 00:00 UT   12 52 58.2   +03 11 55    13.023   13.327  105.3    4.2   115   22.8 
2026-06-18 00:00 UT   12 52 53.7   +03 10 31    13.044   13.332  104.3    4.2   115   22.8 
2026-06-18 08:31 UT   12 52 52.2   +03 10 01    13.051   13.334  104.0    4.2   115   22.8 
2026-06-19 00:00 UT   12 52 49.6   +03 09 06    13.064   13.337  103.4    4.3   115   22.8 
2026-06-20 00:00 UT   12 52 45.7   +03 07 39    13.085   13.341  102.4    4.3   115   22.8 
2026-06-21 00:00 UT   12 52 42.1   +03 06 11    13.106   13.346  101.5    4.3   115   22.8 
2026-06-22 00:00 UT   12 52 38.8   +03 04 41    13.127   13.351  100.5    4.3   115   22.8 
2026-06-23 00:00 UT   12 52 35.8   +03 03 10    13.148   13.355   99.6    4.3   114   22.9 
2026-06-24 00:00 UT   12 52 33.0   +03 01 37    13.169   13.360   98.7    4.3   114   22.9 
2026-06-25 00:00 UT   12 52 30.5   +03 00 02    13.190   13.365   97.7    4.3   114   22.9 
2026-06-26 00:00 UT   12 52 28.3   +02 58 26    13.211   13.369   96.8    4.3   114   22.9 
2026-06-27 00:00 UT   12 52 26.4   +02 56 49    13.232   13.374   95.8    4.3   114   22.9 
2026-06-28 00:00 UT   12 52 24.8   +02 55 10    13.253   13.379   94.9    4.3   114   22.9 

    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.