C/2022 P3 (ZTF)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	27 Jul 2022	18.9	2.570 AU	3.297 AU	05h44m	+23°33'	37.7°	14.0°	269°
Nearest approach	30 Nov 2022	18.4	2.894 AU	2.257 AU	08h31m	+65°14'	121.2°	17.0°	253°
Today	19 Jun 2026	25.1	11.802 AU	11.392 AU	15h03m	+32°05'	111.5°	4.6°	139°

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)                : 0.9904540
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.5701270
    i (Inclination)                 : 59.50430
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 72.24010
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 0.26720
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 72.37570
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 0.23024
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459787.94650
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 4417.74

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194181

    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
2026-06-18 00:00 UT   15 04 29.2   +32 10 26    11.363   11.791  112.6    4.6   140   25.1 
2026-06-19 00:00 UT   15 04 13.5   +32 07 45    11.378   11.797  112.0    4.6   139   25.1 
2026-06-19 21:15 UT   15 03 59.7   +32 05 19    11.392   11.802  111.5    4.6   139   25.1 
2026-06-20 00:00 UT   15 03 58.0   +32 04 60    11.394   11.803  111.4    4.6   139   25.1 
2026-06-21 00:00 UT   15 03 42.8   +32 02 12    11.410   11.809  110.8    4.6   138   25.1 
2026-06-22 00:00 UT   15 03 28.0   +31 59 21    11.426   11.815  110.2    4.6   137   25.1 
2026-06-23 00:00 UT   15 03 13.4   +31 56 26    11.442   11.822  109.6    4.6   136   25.2 
2026-06-24 00:00 UT   15 02 59.2   +31 53 29    11.458   11.828  109.0    4.7   135   25.2 
2026-06-25 00:00 UT   15 02 45.3   +31 50 28    11.474   11.834  108.4    4.7   134   25.2 
2026-06-26 00:00 UT   15 02 31.8   +31 47 25    11.490   11.840  107.8    4.7   134   25.2 
2026-06-27 00:00 UT   15 02 18.6   +31 44 19    11.506   11.846  107.1    4.7   133   25.2 
2026-06-28 00:00 UT   15 02 05.7   +31 41 10    11.523   11.852  106.5    4.7   132   25.2 
2026-06-29 00:00 UT   15 01 53.1   +31 37 58    11.539   11.859  105.9    4.7   131   25.2 

    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.