C/2022 P1 (NEOWISE)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	25 Sep 2022	10.6	1.793 AU	0.845 AU	00h18m	-27°12'	151.9°	15.3°	354°
Perihelion	28 Nov 2022	11.0	1.590 AU	2.105 AU	19h37m	-39°31'	46.2°	26.6°	98°
Today	12 Nov 2026	40.7	11.506 AU	12.078 AU	12h14m	+12°37'	52.8°	3.9°	304°

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 3.3 + 5 log[∆] + 30.2 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 P1 (NEOWISE) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9137300
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.5897160
    i (Inclination)                 : 154.56730
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 205.04400
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 249.79910
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 137.21146
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -23.76799
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459912.19770
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 79.10

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194181

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); Halley type (P < 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-11-11 00:00 UT   12 14 19.3   +12 37 25    12.091   11.497   51.3    3.9   305   40.7 
2026-11-12 00:00 UT   12 14 29.9   +12 37 33    12.083   11.503   52.2    3.9   304   40.7 
2026-11-12 14:27 UT   12 14 36.2   +12 37 39    12.078   11.506   52.8    3.9   304   40.7 
2026-11-13 00:00 UT   12 14 40.3   +12 37 43    12.074   11.508   53.1    3.9   304   40.7 
2026-11-14 00:00 UT   12 14 50.4   +12 37 56    12.066   11.514   54.1    4.0   304   40.7 
2026-11-15 00:00 UT   12 15 00.4   +12 38 11    12.057   11.519   55.0    4.0   303   40.7 
2026-11-16 00:00 UT   12 15 10.1   +12 38 28    12.049   11.524   55.9    4.1   303   40.7 
2026-11-17 00:00 UT   12 15 19.5   +12 38 47    12.040   11.530   56.9    4.1   303   40.7 
2026-11-18 00:00 UT   12 15 28.7   +12 39 09    12.031   11.535   57.8    4.2   302   40.7 
2026-11-19 00:00 UT   12 15 37.7   +12 39 33    12.021   11.540   58.8    4.2   302   40.7 
2026-11-20 00:00 UT   12 15 46.5   +12 39 60    12.012   11.546   59.7    4.2   302   40.7 
2026-11-21 00:00 UT   12 15 55.0   +12 40 29    12.002   11.551   60.7    4.3   302   40.7 
2026-11-22 00:00 UT   12 16 03.2   +12 41 00    11.993   11.556   61.6    4.3   301   40.7 

    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.