C/2018 N2 (ASASSN)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	19 Oct 2019	11.7	3.147 AU	2.227 AU	01h12m	+36°29'	153.0°	8.3°	168°
Perihelion	11 Nov 2019	11.8	3.139 AU	2.330 AU	00h20m	+38°52'	138.3°	12.1°	109°
Today	6 Nov 2026	22.9	17.963 AU	18.793 AU	13h51m	+13°18'	32.3°	1.7°	335°

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 5.6 + 5 log[∆] + 8.7 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/2018 N2 (ASASSN) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0020600
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.1387280
    i (Inclination)                 : 77.40670
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 25.28790
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 24.63140
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 30.99657
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 24.00098
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458799.29260

    Epoch                           : 2026 Nov 06
    Reference                       : MPC194156

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-11-05 00:00 UT   13 51 39.2   +13 20 38    18.795   17.954   31.1    1.6   337   22.9 
2026-11-06 00:00 UT   13 51 50.7   +13 19 33    18.794   17.959   31.8    1.7   336   22.9 
2026-11-06 19:08 UT   13 51 59.9   +13 18 42    18.793   17.963   32.3    1.7   335   22.9 
2026-11-07 00:00 UT   13 52 02.2   +13 18 29    18.793   17.964   32.4    1.7   335   22.9 
2026-11-08 00:00 UT   13 52 13.7   +13 17 28    18.792   17.970   33.1    1.7   333   22.9 
2026-11-09 00:00 UT   13 52 25.0   +13 16 27    18.790   17.975   33.7    1.8   332   22.9 
2026-11-10 00:00 UT   13 52 36.4   +13 15 29    18.788   17.980   34.4    1.8   331   22.9 
2026-11-11 00:00 UT   13 52 47.7   +13 14 32    18.786   17.985   35.1    1.8   330   22.9 
2026-11-12 00:00 UT   13 52 58.9   +13 13 36    18.784   17.991   35.8    1.8   329   22.9 
2026-11-13 00:00 UT   13 53 10.0   +13 12 43    18.781   17.996   36.5    1.9   328   22.9 
2026-11-14 00:00 UT   13 53 21.1   +13 11 51    18.778   18.001   37.2    1.9   327   22.9 
2026-11-15 00:00 UT   13 53 32.1   +13 11 00    18.775   18.006   38.0    1.9   326   22.9 
2026-11-16 00:00 UT   13 53 43.0   +13 10 11    18.772   18.011   38.7    2.0   325   22.9 

    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.