174P/Echeclus
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	12 Apr 2015	10.5	5.873 AU	6.614 AU	22h55m	-05°40'	39.4°	6.2°	249°
Nearest approach	9 Sep 2015	10.0	5.917 AU	4.911 AU	23h21m	-03°43'	176.9°	0.5°	240°
Today	31 Oct 2026	26.9	14.266 AU	14.327 AU	08h58m	+14°01'	84.5°	4.0°	286°

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 -22.9 + 5 log[∆] + 38.1 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 174P/Echeclus are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.4539300
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.8733330
    i (Inclination)                 : 4.33810
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 173.38140
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 163.31080
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 156.73737
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 1.24472
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2457125.27820
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 35.27

    Epoch                           : 2026 Oct 30
    Reference                       : MPC 92985

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); Halley type (P < 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-10-30 00:00 UT   08 57 54.8   +14 02 26    14.346   14.265   83.3    4.0   286   26.9 
2026-10-31 00:00 UT   08 57 59.3   +14 01 56    14.330   14.266   84.3    4.0   286   26.9 
2026-10-31 04:32 UT   08 58 00.2   +14 01 51    14.327   14.266   84.5    4.0   286   26.9 
2026-11-01 00:00 UT   08 58 03.7   +14 01 27    14.314   14.267   85.3    4.0   286   26.9 
2026-11-02 00:00 UT   08 58 07.7   +14 00 60    14.299   14.268   86.3    4.0   286   26.9 
2026-11-03 00:00 UT   08 58 11.5   +14 00 33    14.283   14.270   87.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-04 00:00 UT   08 58 14.9   +14 00 07    14.267   14.271   88.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-05 00:00 UT   08 58 18.1   +13 59 43    14.251   14.272   89.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-06 00:00 UT   08 58 21.1   +13 59 20    14.235   14.273   90.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-07 00:00 UT   08 58 23.7   +13 58 58    14.219   14.275   91.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-08 00:00 UT   08 58 26.1   +13 58 37    14.204   14.276   92.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-09 00:00 UT   08 58 28.1   +13 58 17    14.188   14.277   93.2    4.0   286   26.8 
2026-11-10 00:00 UT   08 58 29.9   +13 57 59    14.172   14.278   94.2    4.0   286   26.8 

    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.