C/2022 P3 (ZTF)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	27 Jul 2022	18.9	2.569 AU	3.296 AU	05h44m	+23°33'	37.8°	14.0°	269°
Nearest approach	30 Nov 2022	18.4	2.893 AU	2.256 AU	08h31m	+65°14'	121.2°	17.0°	253°
Today	17 Mar 2026	24.9	11.215 AU	10.702 AU	15h34m	+31°29'	118.7°	4.5°	252°

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 14.1 + 5 log[∆] + 5.4 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 P3 (ZTF) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9904240
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.5692490
    i (Inclination)                 : 59.50850
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 72.23290
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 0.25860
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 72.36412
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 0.22284
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459787.98360
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 4394.74

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    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
2026-03-16 00:00 UT   15 34 45.2   +31 24 23    10.705   11.204  117.8    4.5   254   24.9 
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   15 34 34.3   +31 27 28    10.703   11.210  118.4    4.5   253   24.9 
2026-03-17 15:46 UT   15 34 27.0   +31 29 29    10.702   11.215  118.7    4.5   252   24.9 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   15 34 23.0   +31 30 32    10.701   11.217  118.9    4.5   252   24.9 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   15 34 11.4   +31 33 35    10.700   11.223  119.4    4.4   251   24.9 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   15 33 59.3   +31 36 35    10.699   11.229  120.0    4.4   250   24.9 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   15 33 46.9   +31 39 34    10.697   11.236  120.5    4.4   249   24.9 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   15 33 34.1   +31 42 32    10.696   11.242  121.0    4.4   248   24.9 
2026-03-23 00:00 UT   15 33 20.9   +31 45 27    10.695   11.248  121.5    4.3   247   24.9 
2026-03-24 00:00 UT   15 33 07.3   +31 48 20    10.695   11.255  121.9    4.3   245   24.9 
2026-03-25 00:00 UT   15 32 53.4   +31 51 11    10.694   11.261  122.4    4.3   244   24.9 
2026-03-26 00:00 UT   15 32 39.1   +31 53 60    10.694   11.267  122.9    4.3   243   24.9 
2026-03-27 00:00 UT   15 32 24.5   +31 56 46    10.694   11.273  123.3    4.2   242   24.9 

    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.