C/2021 A4 (NEOWISE) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Nearest approach | 12 Feb 2021 | 12.2 | 1.279 AU | 0.431 AU | 06h44m | +59°24' | 123.9° | 39.8° | 125° |
Perihelion | 19 Mar 2021 | 13.9 | 1.151 AU | 1.144 AU | 04h14m | -02°11' | 64.6° | 51.4° | 91° |
Today | 16 Oct 2025 | 30.1 | 13.853 AU | 13.611 AU | 20h36m | -24°26' | 102.0° | 4.0° | 74° |
C/2021 A4 (NEOWISE)- 2025-10-16
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.)
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 13.0 + 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/2021 A4 (NEOWISE) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9729770
q (Perihelion distance) : 1.1507450
i (Inclination) : 111.66520
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 307.08740
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 204.76260
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 297.42299
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -22.90908
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459293.15180
P (Orbital period in years) : 277.89
Epoch : 2025 Oct 15
Reference : MPEC 2022-ED3
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
2025-10-16 00:00 UT 20 36 32.3 -24 27 24 13.596 13.849 102.7 4.0 74 30.1
2025-10-16 16:17 UT 20 36 28.9 -24 26 59 13.611 13.853 102.0 4.0 74 30.1
2025-10-17 00:00 UT 20 36 27.4 -24 26 48 13.618 13.855 101.7 4.0 74 30.1
2025-10-18 00:00 UT 20 36 22.8 -24 26 10 13.641 13.860 100.7 4.1 74 30.1
2025-10-19 00:00 UT 20 36 18.6 -24 25 32 13.663 13.866 99.7 4.1 74 30.1
2025-10-20 00:00 UT 20 36 14.7 -24 24 52 13.686 13.872 98.7 4.1 75 30.1
2025-10-21 00:00 UT 20 36 11.1 -24 24 12 13.709 13.877 97.7 4.1 75 30.1
2025-10-22 00:00 UT 20 36 07.8 -24 23 30 13.732 13.883 96.7 4.1 75 30.1
2025-10-23 00:00 UT 20 36 04.9 -24 22 48 13.755 13.889 95.7 4.1 75 30.1
2025-10-24 00:00 UT 20 36 02.3 -24 22 04 13.777 13.894 94.7 4.1 75 30.1
2025-10-25 00:00 UT 20 36 00.0 -24 21 19 13.800 13.900 93.7 4.1 75 30.1
2025-10-26 00:00 UT 20 35 58.1 -24 20 34 13.823 13.906 92.7 4.1 75 30.1
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.