C/2012 S1 (ISON)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	27 Nov 2013	-6.3	0.014 AU	0.997 AU	16h15m	-21°31'	0.6°	43.2°	125°
Nearest approach	25 Dec 2013	6.7	1.005 AU	0.431 AU	16h21m	+52°48'	80.2°	74.8°	333°
Today	2 Mar 2026	27.6	29.892 AU	29.334 AU	07h18m	+37°23'	123.4°	1.6°	108°

This comet is a sungrazer. Although it may become very bright at perihelion, this will only be for a very short period very close to the sun.

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 based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from an MPEC, or the latest values provided by the minor planet center. (8.5 + 5 log[∆] + 8.0 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 C/2012 S1 (ISON) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0000030
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.0142240
    i (Inclination)                 : 58.40510
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 297.04240
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 345.10730
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 289.11043
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -12.64526
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2456624.16260

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 01
    Reference                       : MPC191584

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU); Sungrazer

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-01 00:00 UT   07 18 57.4   +37 23 25    29.311   29.886  124.7    1.6   109   27.6 
2026-03-02 00:00 UT   07 18 51.1   +37 23 09    29.329   29.891  123.7    1.6   108   27.6 
2026-03-02 06:16 UT   07 18 49.5   +37 23 05    29.334   29.892  123.4    1.6   108   27.6 
2026-03-03 00:00 UT   07 18 45.1   +37 22 52    29.347   29.895  122.7    1.6   108   27.6 
2026-03-04 00:00 UT   07 18 39.1   +37 22 35    29.365   29.900  121.8    1.6   108   27.6 
2026-03-05 00:00 UT   07 18 33.4   +37 22 18    29.384   29.904  120.8    1.6   107   27.6 
2026-03-06 00:00 UT   07 18 27.7   +37 21 59    29.402   29.909  119.8    1.6   107   27.6 
2026-03-07 00:00 UT   07 18 22.3   +37 21 40    29.421   29.913  118.8    1.7   106   27.7 
2026-03-08 00:00 UT   07 18 17.0   +37 21 21    29.440   29.918  117.9    1.7   106   27.7 
2026-03-09 00:00 UT   07 18 11.8   +37 21 01    29.459   29.922  116.9    1.7   106   27.7 
2026-03-10 00:00 UT   07 18 06.8   +37 20 41    29.478   29.927  115.9    1.7   105   27.7 
2026-03-11 00:00 UT   07 18 02.0   +37 20 20    29.498   29.931  115.0    1.7   105   27.7 
2026-03-12 00:00 UT   07 17 57.3   +37 19 59    29.517   29.935  114.0    1.7   105   27.7 

    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.