66P/duToit
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	30 Sep 2026	36.7	10.725 AU	10.867 AU	07h33m	+40°08'	79.2°	5.3°	283°
Perihelion	23 Apr 2033	11.2	1.305 AU	1.301 AU	22h22m	-29°44'	67.6°	45.4°	240°
Nearest approach	27 Aug 2033	15.6	2.055 AU	1.241 AU	01h38m	-02°22'	131.6°	21.6°	259°

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[∆] + 22.8 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 66P/duToit are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.7849880
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.3052800
    i (Inclination)                 : 18.64790
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 21.88140
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 257.29420
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 98.49631
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -18.17507
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2463710.50780
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 14.96

    Epoch                           : 2026 Sep 30
    Reference                       : MPC191598

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.125

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-09-29 00:00 UT   07 32 59.6   +40 05 56    10.896   10.726   77.6    5.2   284   36.7 
2026-09-30 00:00 UT   07 33 10.8   +40 07 16    10.879   10.725   78.5    5.3   283   36.7 
2026-09-30 17:05 UT   07 33 18.5   +40 08 14    10.867   10.725   79.2    5.3   283   36.7 
2026-10-01 00:00 UT   07 33 21.5   +40 08 38    10.863   10.724   79.4    5.3   283   36.7 
2026-10-02 00:00 UT   07 33 31.8   +40 10 01    10.846   10.724   80.3    5.3   283   36.7 
2026-10-03 00:00 UT   07 33 41.6   +40 11 25    10.830   10.723   81.3    5.3   282   36.7 
2026-10-04 00:00 UT   07 33 51.1   +40 12 51    10.813   10.722   82.2    5.3   282   36.7 
2026-10-05 00:00 UT   07 34 00.1   +40 14 18    10.796   10.722   83.1    5.3   282   36.7 
2026-10-06 00:00 UT   07 34 08.6   +40 15 46    10.780   10.721   84.0    5.3   282   36.7 
2026-10-07 00:00 UT   07 34 16.7   +40 17 16    10.763   10.720   84.9    5.3   281   36.7 
2026-10-08 00:00 UT   07 34 24.3   +40 18 48    10.746   10.720   85.8    5.3   281   36.7 
2026-10-09 00:00 UT   07 34 31.5   +40 20 21    10.729   10.719   86.7    5.3   281   36.7 
2026-10-10 00:00 UT   07 34 38.2   +40 21 55    10.713   10.718   87.7    5.3   280   36.7 

    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.