C/2023 H5 (Lemmon)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	22 Feb 2025	17.3	4.442 AU	3.740 AU	12h12m	+55°04'	130.1°	9.8°	217°
Perihelion	30 Jun 2025	17.7	4.313 AU	4.761 AU	10h54m	+64°15'	58.2°	11.6°	77°
Today	5 Aug 2026	18.9	5.403 AU	5.189 AU	21h14m	+66°17'	96.7°	10.7°	183°

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 8.0 + 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 H5 (Lemmon) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0007280
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.3131100
    i (Inclination)                 : 97.85540
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 159.47070
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 60.13010
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 146.08490
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 59.20686
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460856.98770

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 04
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-O98

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-08-04 00:00 UT   21 16 25.8   +66 27 01     5.193    5.395   96.1   10.8   185   18.8 
2026-08-05 00:00 UT   21 15 04.1   +66 21 16     5.190    5.400   96.5   10.8   184   18.8 
2026-08-05 16:39 UT   21 14 07.8   +66 17 08     5.189    5.403   96.7   10.7   183   18.9 
2026-08-06 00:00 UT   21 13 42.9   +66 15 16     5.188    5.404   96.9   10.7   183   18.9 
2026-08-07 00:00 UT   21 12 22.2   +66 09 02     5.186    5.409   97.3   10.7   181   18.9 
2026-08-08 00:00 UT   21 11 02.1   +66 02 34     5.184    5.414   97.7   10.7   180   18.9 
2026-08-09 00:00 UT   21 09 42.6   +65 55 52     5.183    5.419   98.0   10.7   179   18.9 
2026-08-10 00:00 UT   21 08 23.7   +65 48 56     5.181    5.423   98.4   10.7   178   18.9 
2026-08-11 00:00 UT   21 07 05.6   +65 41 46     5.179    5.428   98.8   10.6   176   18.9 
2026-08-12 00:00 UT   21 05 48.3   +65 34 21     5.178    5.433   99.2   10.6   175   18.9 
2026-08-13 00:00 UT   21 04 31.8   +65 26 43     5.176    5.437   99.6   10.6   174   18.9 
2026-08-14 00:00 UT   21 03 16.2   +65 18 50     5.175    5.442  100.0   10.6   173   18.9 
2026-08-15 00:00 UT   21 02 01.6   +65 10 44     5.173    5.447  100.3   10.5   171   18.9 

    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.