C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	24 Aug 2026	14.4	13.682 AU	13.702 AU	07h08m	-69°34'	86.8°	4.2°	225°
Perihelion	16 Jan 2031	12.3	10.960 AU	10.831 AU	12h09m	-38°50'	94.9°	5.1°	302°
Nearest approach	5 Apr 2031	12.2	10.967 AU	10.121 AU	11h46m	-35°40'	146.3°	2.9°	31°

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 -9.8 + 5 log[∆] + 16.3 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/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0041110
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 10.9595900
    i (Inclination)                 : 95.44600
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 190.00270
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 326.09080
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 193.65307
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -33.73553
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2462883.06510

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 13
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-PB7

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-08-23 00:00 UT   07 07 03.4   -69 31 13    13.703   13.686   86.9    4.2   224   14.4 
2026-08-24 00:00 UT   07 07 54.9   -69 34 02    13.702   13.683   86.8    4.2   225   14.4 
2026-08-24 06:56 UT   07 08 09.6   -69 34 51    13.702   13.682   86.8    4.2   225   14.4 
2026-08-25 00:00 UT   07 08 45.9   -69 36 53    13.702   13.680   86.7    4.2   225   14.4 
2026-08-26 00:00 UT   07 09 36.6   -69 39 47    13.701   13.677   86.5    4.2   226   14.4 
2026-08-27 00:00 UT   07 10 27.0   -69 42 42    13.700   13.674   86.4    4.2   227   14.4 
2026-08-28 00:00 UT   07 11 16.9   -69 45 40    13.699   13.671   86.3    4.2   228   14.4 
2026-08-29 00:00 UT   07 12 06.5   -69 48 40    13.699   13.668   86.2    4.2   228   14.4 
2026-08-30 00:00 UT   07 12 55.8   -69 51 41    13.698   13.665   86.0    4.2   229   14.4 
2026-08-31 00:00 UT   07 13 44.6   -69 54 45    13.697   13.662   85.9    4.2   230   14.4 
2026-09-01 00:00 UT   07 14 33.0   -69 57 51    13.697   13.659   85.8    4.2   231   14.4 
2026-09-02 00:00 UT   07 15 21.0   -70 00 59    13.696   13.656   85.7    4.2   231   14.4 
2026-09-03 00:00 UT   07 16 08.6   -70 04 08    13.695   13.653   85.5    4.2   232   14.4 

    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.