|
C/2018 W2 (Africano) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 5 Sep 2019 | 10.2 | 1.465 AU | 0.856 AU | 02h47m | +52°33' | 103.2° | 42.1° | 240° |
| Nearest approach | 27 Sep 2019 | 9.1 | 1.497 AU | 0.503 AU | 23h56m | +14°10' | 166.6° | 8.9° | 161° |
| Today | 15 Nov 2025 | 30.1 | 17.642 AU | 18.292 AU | 12h39m | -54°47' | 47.7° | 2.4° | 237° |
C/2018 W2 (Africano)- 2025-11-15
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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 8.5 + 5 log[∆] + 12.3 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/2018 W2 (Africano) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0009650
q (Perihelion distance) : 1.4648030
i (Inclination) : 116.50950
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 182.02660
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 158.25250
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 192.12240
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 19.36354
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458732.40350
Epoch : 2025 Nov 12
Reference : MPEC 2021-P47
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-11-14 00:00 UT 12 39 26.7 -54 43 17 18.288 17.631 47.2 2.4 235 30.1
2025-11-15 00:00 UT 12 39 41.6 -54 45 17 18.290 17.637 47.5 2.4 236 30.1
2025-11-15 23:25 UT 12 39 56.0 -54 47 16 18.292 17.642 47.7 2.4 237 30.1
2025-11-16 00:00 UT 12 39 56.3 -54 47 19 18.292 17.642 47.7 2.4 237 30.1
2025-11-17 00:00 UT 12 40 10.8 -54 49 22 18.293 17.648 48.0 2.4 239 30.1
2025-11-18 00:00 UT 12 40 25.0 -54 51 26 18.295 17.653 48.3 2.4 240 30.1
2025-11-19 00:00 UT 12 40 39.1 -54 53 31 18.296 17.659 48.6 2.4 241 30.2
2025-11-20 00:00 UT 12 40 52.9 -54 55 37 18.297 17.664 48.9 2.4 242 30.2
2025-11-21 00:00 UT 12 41 06.4 -54 57 45 18.298 17.670 49.3 2.4 243 30.2
2025-11-22 00:00 UT 12 41 19.7 -54 59 53 18.299 17.676 49.6 2.4 245 30.2
2025-11-23 00:00 UT 12 41 32.7 -55 02 03 18.300 17.681 50.0 2.5 246 30.2
2025-11-24 00:00 UT 12 41 45.5 -55 04 14 18.300 17.687 50.3 2.5 247 30.2
2025-11-25 00:00 UT 12 41 58.0 -55 06 25 18.300 17.692 50.7 2.5 248 30.2
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.
