392P/LINEAR
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	18 Nov 2019	19.1	2.372 AU	1.441 AU	01h48m	+13°32'	154.5°	10.3°	74°
Perihelion	3 Apr 2020	19.2	1.942 AU	2.293 AU	04h35m	+26°01'	57.2°	25.6°	79°
Today	17 Apr 2026	29.5	10.029 AU	9.567 AU	18h09m	-27°59'	114.8°	5.2°	271°

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 14.6 + 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 392P/LINEAR are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.6838710
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.9422540
    i (Inclination)                 : 4.92470
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 24.77550
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 72.01840
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 96.73158
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 4.68361
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458943.04180
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 15.23

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPC191630

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.427

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-16 00:00 UT   18 09 45.9   -27 58 37     9.586   10.027  113.4    5.3   271   29.5 
2026-04-17 00:00 UT   18 09 39.9   -27 59 07     9.572   10.029  114.4    5.2   271   29.5 
2026-04-17 08:37 UT   18 09 37.6   -27 59 18     9.567   10.029  114.8    5.2   271   29.5 
2026-04-18 00:00 UT   18 09 33.4   -27 59 38     9.558   10.030  115.4    5.2   271   29.5 
2026-04-19 00:00 UT   18 09 26.5   -28 00 08     9.544   10.031  116.4    5.1   271   29.5 
2026-04-20 00:00 UT   18 09 19.1   -28 00 38     9.530   10.032  117.4    5.1   271   29.5 
2026-04-21 00:00 UT   18 09 11.3   -28 01 09     9.516   10.033  118.4    5.1   272   29.5 
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   18 09 03.0   -28 01 39     9.502   10.034  119.4    5.0   272   29.5 
2026-04-23 00:00 UT   18 08 54.2   -28 02 09     9.489   10.035  120.4    5.0   272   29.5 
2026-04-24 00:00 UT   18 08 45.1   -28 02 39     9.475   10.036  121.4    4.9   272   29.4 
2026-04-25 00:00 UT   18 08 35.5   -28 03 08     9.462   10.037  122.4    4.9   272   29.4 
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   18 08 25.4   -28 03 38     9.449   10.038  123.4    4.8   272   29.4 
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   18 08 15.0   -28 04 08     9.436   10.040  124.4    4.7   272   29.4 

    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.