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C/2022 O1 (ATLAS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach3 Jul 202119.17.571 AU7.204 AU 04h55m-83°47'107.4°7.4°208°
Perihelion15 Feb 202219.27.435 AU7.808 AU 01h06m-69°52'64.4°6.9°126°
Today2 Dec 202521.611.202 AU10.382 AU 02h57m-04°40'144.8°2.9°40°
C/2022 O1 (ATLAS)- 2025-12-02
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 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/2022 O1 (ATLAS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0007640
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 7.4352320
    i (Inclination)                 : 71.06020
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 49.90710
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 268.93620
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 136.63277
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -71.03144
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459625.53180

    Epoch                           : 2025 Dec 01
    Reference                       : MPEC 2024-A43

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-12-01 00:00 UT   02 58 03.5   -04 42 19    10.369   11.197  145.6    2.9    39   21.6 
2025-12-02 00:00 UT   02 57 43.6   -04 40 53    10.381   11.201  144.8    2.9    40   21.6 
2025-12-02 00:39 UT   02 57 43.1   -04 40 51    10.382   11.202  144.8    2.9    40   21.6 
2025-12-03 00:00 UT   02 57 23.9   -04 39 25    10.393   11.206  143.9    3.0    41   21.6 
2025-12-04 00:00 UT   02 57 04.5   -04 37 54    10.406   11.210  143.1    3.0    42   21.6 
2025-12-05 00:00 UT   02 56 45.2   -04 36 21    10.419   11.214  142.2    3.1    43   21.6 
2025-12-06 00:00 UT   02 56 26.2   -04 34 45    10.432   11.218  141.3    3.1    44   21.6 
2025-12-07 00:00 UT   02 56 07.3   -04 33 07    10.445   11.223  140.5    3.2    45   21.6 
2025-12-08 00:00 UT   02 55 48.8   -04 31 26    10.458   11.227  139.6    3.3    46   21.6 
2025-12-09 00:00 UT   02 55 30.4   -04 29 43    10.472   11.231  138.7    3.3    47   21.6 
2025-12-10 00:00 UT   02 55 12.3   -04 27 58    10.486   11.235  137.8    3.4    48   21.6 
2025-12-11 00:00 UT   02 54 54.4   -04 26 10    10.500   11.239  136.9    3.4    49   21.6 
2025-12-12 00:00 UT   02 54 36.8   -04 24 20    10.515   11.244  135.9    3.5    50   21.6 




    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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