C/2018 N2 (ASASSN)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	19 Oct 2019	11.7	3.146 AU	2.226 AU	01h12m	+36°25'	153.0°	8.3°	168°
Perihelion	11 Nov 2019	11.8	3.138 AU	2.330 AU	00h20m	+38°50'	138.2°	12.1°	109°
Today	3 Jul 2026	22.5	17.297 AU	17.196 AU	13h37m	+17°18'	94.0°	3.4°	116°

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)                : 1.0020850
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.1382540
    i (Inclination)                 : 77.42760
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 25.27780
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 24.63120
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 30.97716
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 24.00286
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458799.41870

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 02
    Reference                       : MPC194156

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-07-02 00:00 UT   13 37 10.9   +17 20 54    17.168   17.290   95.2    3.4   116   22.5 
2026-07-03 00:00 UT   13 37 07.2   +17 19 10    17.188   17.295   94.3    3.4   116   22.5 
2026-07-03 09:32 UT   13 37 05.8   +17 18 29    17.196   17.297   94.0    3.4   116   22.5 
2026-07-04 00:00 UT   13 37 03.8   +17 17 26    17.209   17.300   93.5    3.4   115   22.5 
2026-07-05 00:00 UT   13 37 00.5   +17 15 40    17.229   17.306   92.6    3.4   115   22.5 
2026-07-06 00:00 UT   13 36 57.5   +17 13 53    17.250   17.311   91.7    3.4   114   22.5 
2026-07-07 00:00 UT   13 36 54.7   +17 12 05    17.270   17.316   90.9    3.4   114   22.5 
2026-07-08 00:00 UT   13 36 52.1   +17 10 16    17.291   17.322   90.0    3.4   114   22.5 
2026-07-09 00:00 UT   13 36 49.7   +17 08 26    17.311   17.327   89.2    3.4   113   22.5 
2026-07-10 00:00 UT   13 36 47.6   +17 06 34    17.332   17.332   88.3    3.4   113   22.6 
2026-07-11 00:00 UT   13 36 45.7   +17 04 42    17.352   17.337   87.4    3.4   112   22.6 
2026-07-12 00:00 UT   13 36 44.0   +17 02 48    17.373   17.343   86.6    3.4   112   22.6 
2026-07-13 00:00 UT   13 36 42.6   +17 00 54    17.394   17.348   85.7    3.4   112   22.6 

    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.