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C/2021 T2 (Fuls)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion8 Jun 202217.81.242 AU1.470 AU 03h43m-30°06'56.5°42.9°203°
Nearest approach7 Jul 202217.41.317 AU1.138 AU 07h11m-52°28'75.1°48.2°178°
Today3 May 202627.512.816 AU12.151 AU 14h05m+34°04'129.5°3.5°169°
C/2021 T2 (Fuls)- 2026-05-03
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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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 estimated manually by the author. (16.5 + 5 log[∆] + 5.0 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 T2 (Fuls) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0005000
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.2423040
    i (Inclination)                 : 117.48030
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 223.17120
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 263.47870
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 147.08482
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -61.81526
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459738.96870

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    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
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   14 06 32.4   +34 02 20    12.130   12.805  130.3    3.4   171   27.5 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   14 06 10.2   +34 03 30    12.142   12.812  129.8    3.5   170   27.5 
2026-05-03 16:04 UT   14 05 55.3   +34 04 14    12.151   12.816  129.5    3.5   169   27.5 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   14 05 48.0   +34 04 35    12.155   12.818  129.3    3.5   168   27.5 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   14 05 25.9   +34 05 36    12.167   12.825  128.9    3.5   167   27.5 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   14 05 03.9   +34 06 33    12.180   12.831  128.4    3.5   166   27.5 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   14 04 42.1   +34 07 26    12.193   12.837  127.9    3.6   165   27.5 
2026-05-08 00:00 UT   14 04 20.3   +34 08 15    12.206   12.844  127.3    3.6   164   27.5 
2026-05-09 00:00 UT   14 03 58.7   +34 08 60    12.220   12.850  126.8    3.6   163   27.5 
2026-05-10 00:00 UT   14 03 37.2   +34 09 41    12.233   12.857  126.3    3.6   161   27.5 
2026-05-11 00:00 UT   14 03 15.9   +34 10 17    12.247   12.863  125.7    3.7   160   27.5 
2026-05-12 00:00 UT   14 02 54.7   +34 10 50    12.261   12.870  125.2    3.7   159   27.5 
2026-05-13 00:00 UT   14 02 33.6   +34 11 19    12.275   12.876  124.6    3.7   158   27.5 




    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.

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