C/2020 Y2 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	19 Mar 2022	14.6	3.265 AU	2.940 AU	07h47m	-67°03'	100.1°	17.5°	63°
Perihelion	17 Jun 2022	14.8	3.147 AU	3.436 AU	06h33m	-40°40'	65.1°	17.0°	167°
Today	4 Aug 2026	21.1	12.084 AU	11.802 AU	00h55m	+33°30'	103.8°	4.7°	238°

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 9.0 + 5 log[∆] + 6.3 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 Y2 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9973250
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.1470460
    i (Inclination)                 : 101.26940
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 26.56190
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 266.41990
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 314.31477
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -78.18261
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459748.03080
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 40352.36

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 03
    Reference                       : MPC194172

    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
2026-08-03 00:00 UT   00 55 37.2   +33 27 16    11.814   12.075  102.5    4.7   239   21.1 
2026-08-04 00:00 UT   00 55 24.1   +33 29 20    11.805   12.081  103.4    4.7   238   21.1 
2026-08-04 09:58 UT   00 55 18.5   +33 30 11    11.802   12.084  103.8    4.7   238   21.1 
2026-08-05 00:00 UT   00 55 10.6   +33 31 22    11.796   12.087  104.3    4.7   238   21.1 
2026-08-06 00:00 UT   00 54 56.8   +33 33 21    11.788   12.093  105.2    4.6   237   21.1 
2026-08-07 00:00 UT   00 54 42.6   +33 35 18    11.779   12.099  106.0    4.6   237   21.1 
2026-08-08 00:00 UT   00 54 28.1   +33 37 13    11.771   12.105  106.9    4.6   236   21.1 
2026-08-09 00:00 UT   00 54 13.2   +33 39 04    11.762   12.111  107.8    4.6   236   21.1 
2026-08-10 00:00 UT   00 53 57.9   +33 40 53    11.754   12.117  108.7    4.5   235   21.1 
2026-08-11 00:00 UT   00 53 42.3   +33 42 40    11.746   12.123  109.6    4.5   235   21.1 
2026-08-12 00:00 UT   00 53 26.4   +33 44 23    11.737   12.129  110.5    4.5   234   21.1 
2026-08-13 00:00 UT   00 53 10.1   +33 46 04    11.729   12.135  111.3    4.5   234   21.1 
2026-08-14 00:00 UT   00 52 53.4   +33 47 42    11.721   12.141  112.2    4.4   233   21.1 

    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.