28P/Neujmin
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	9 Mar 2021	16.0	1.588 AU	2.561 AU	22h47m	-09°42'	9.0°	5.6°	236°
Nearest approach	7 Nov 2021	17.0	3.063 AU	2.241 AU	05h13m	+42°39'	139.5°	12.1°	241°
Today	17 Mar 2026	22.7	10.536 AU	9.801 AU	09h09m	+24°35'	135.7°	3.8°	115°

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 13.1 + 5 log[∆] + 4.6 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 28P/Neujmin are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.7724150
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.5880650
    i (Inclination)                 : 14.28750
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 346.42530
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 347.41950
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 334.22208
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -3.08131
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459282.64840
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 18.43

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.171

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-16 00:00 UT   09 09 35.0   +24 35 14     9.785   10.533  136.9    3.7   116   22.7 
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   09 09 19.3   +24 35 32     9.799   10.535  135.8    3.8   115   22.7 
2026-03-17 04:30 UT   09 09 16.4   +24 35 36     9.801   10.536  135.7    3.8   115   22.7 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   09 09 03.9   +24 35 49     9.813   10.538  134.8    3.8   115   22.7 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   09 08 48.8   +24 36 03     9.827   10.540  133.8    3.9   115   22.7 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   09 08 34.1   +24 36 15     9.841   10.543  132.8    4.0   114   22.7 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   09 08 19.8   +24 36 26     9.856   10.545  131.7    4.0   114   22.7 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   09 08 05.8   +24 36 34     9.871   10.548  130.7    4.1   114   22.7 
2026-03-23 00:00 UT   09 07 52.1   +24 36 40     9.886   10.550  129.7    4.2   114   22.7 
2026-03-24 00:00 UT   09 07 38.8   +24 36 45     9.901   10.553  128.7    4.2   113   22.7 
2026-03-25 00:00 UT   09 07 25.9   +24 36 47     9.917   10.555  127.6    4.3   113   22.7 
2026-03-26 00:00 UT   09 07 13.4   +24 36 47     9.933   10.558  126.6    4.3   113   22.7 
2026-03-27 00:00 UT   09 07 01.2   +24 36 45     9.948   10.560  125.6    4.4   113   22.7 

    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.