C/2023 B2 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	10 Mar 2023	15.4	1.739 AU	0.999 AU	11h35m	-54°13'	121.6°	29.1°	356°
Nearest approach	12 Apr 2023	15.2	1.791 AU	0.862 AU	12h05m	-36°05'	147.5°	17.5°	37°
Today	14 May 2026	28.4	10.658 AU	10.500 AU	20h21m	+23°25'	96.2°	5.4°	247°

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 13.0 + 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/2023 B2 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9971600
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.7392750
    i (Inclination)                 : 40.76500
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 218.03990
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 317.38530
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 183.17041
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -26.23762
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460014.32920
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 15155.66

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 13
    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
2026-05-13 00:00 UT   20 21 13.6   +23 20 21    10.509   10.648   95.1    5.4   248   28.4 
2026-05-14 00:00 UT   20 21 09.4   +23 23 47    10.503   10.654   95.9    5.4   247   28.4 
2026-05-14 13:18 UT   20 21 06.9   +23 25 40    10.500   10.658   96.2    5.4   247   28.4 
2026-05-15 00:00 UT   20 21 04.8   +23 27 11    10.498   10.661   96.6    5.4   246   28.4 
2026-05-16 00:00 UT   20 20 59.8   +23 30 33    10.492   10.668   97.3    5.4   246   28.4 
2026-05-17 00:00 UT   20 20 54.4   +23 33 53    10.487   10.675   98.0    5.4   245   28.4 
2026-05-18 00:00 UT   20 20 48.6   +23 37 10    10.481   10.681   98.7    5.4   244   28.4 
2026-05-19 00:00 UT   20 20 42.5   +23 40 26    10.476   10.688   99.4    5.4   244   28.4 
2026-05-20 00:00 UT   20 20 35.9   +23 43 39    10.470   10.695  100.1    5.3   243   28.4 
2026-05-21 00:00 UT   20 20 29.0   +23 46 49    10.465   10.702  100.8    5.3   242   28.4 
2026-05-22 00:00 UT   20 20 21.7   +23 49 58    10.460   10.709  101.5    5.3   242   28.4 
2026-05-23 00:00 UT   20 20 14.1   +23 53 03    10.455   10.715  102.2    5.3   241   28.4 
2026-05-24 00:00 UT   20 20 06.1   +23 56 07    10.450   10.722  102.9    5.3   240   28.4 

    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.