142P/Ge-Wang
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	9 May 2021	19.4	2.523 AU	3.162 AU	00h20m	+03°19'	43.3°	15.9°	248°
Nearest approach	17 Oct 2021	18.9	2.795 AU	1.836 AU	02h45m	+03°40'	160.3°	6.9°	288°
Today	23 Apr 2026	28.1	7.411 AU	6.818 AU	10h25m	+06°26'	122.8°	6.5°	109°

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. The light curve is estimated manually by the author. (10.9 + 5 log[∆] + 15.0 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 142P/Ge-Wang are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.4956910
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.5232900
    i (Inclination)                 : 12.24290
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 175.96310
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 174.02090
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 170.11903
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 1.26571
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459344.49200
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 11.19

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 22
    Reference                       : MPC191605

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.704

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   10 25 18.0   +06 24 34     6.800    7.411  124.1    6.4   109   28.1 
2026-04-23 00:00 UT   10 25 09.3   +06 26 20     6.814    7.411  123.1    6.5   109   28.1 
2026-04-23 06:26 UT   10 25 07.0   +06 26 48     6.818    7.411  122.8    6.5   109   28.1 
2026-04-24 00:00 UT   10 25 01.1   +06 28 03     6.828    7.412  122.1    6.6   109   28.1 
2026-04-25 00:00 UT   10 24 53.4   +06 29 43     6.843    7.412  121.1    6.7   109   28.1 
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   10 24 46.2   +06 31 20     6.857    7.413  120.1    6.7   110   28.1 
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   10 24 39.6   +06 32 54     6.872    7.414  119.1    6.8   110   28.1 
2026-04-28 00:00 UT   10 24 33.4   +06 34 25     6.887    7.414  118.1    6.9   110   28.1 
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   10 24 27.8   +06 35 53     6.902    7.415  117.1    6.9   110   28.1 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   10 24 22.7   +06 37 19     6.917    7.415  116.1    7.0   110   28.2 
2026-05-01 00:00 UT   10 24 18.1   +06 38 41     6.933    7.416  115.1    7.1   110   28.2 
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   10 24 13.9   +06 39 60     6.948    7.417  114.1    7.1   110   28.2 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   10 24 10.4   +06 41 16     6.964    7.417  113.1    7.2   110   28.2 

    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.