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C/2019 K7 (Smith)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion15 Jun 202015.64.469 AU3.801 AU 20h23m+13°12'125.6°10.7°228°
Nearest approach15 Jul 202015.54.476 AU3.646 AU 19h43m+18°15'140.4°8.3°181°
Today3 Nov 202621.816.052 AU16.176 AU 10h40m+46°32'81.1°3.5°303°
C/2019 K7 (Smith)- 2026-11-03
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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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 9.2 + 5 log[∆] + 5.4 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/2019 K7 (Smith) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9993420
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.4690480
    i (Inclination)                 : 103.45820
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 308.05330
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 27.27340
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 301.21125
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 26.46517
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459016.43190
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 559736.58

    Epoch                           : 2026 Nov 03
    Reference                       : MPC194161

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-11-02 00:00 UT   10 39 56.6   +46 30 28    16.193   16.042   79.5    3.5   305   21.8 
2026-11-03 00:00 UT   10 40 02.6   +46 31 32    16.184   16.048   80.3    3.5   304   21.8 
2026-11-03 23:09 UT   10 40 08.2   +46 32 36    16.176   16.052   81.1    3.5   303   21.8 
2026-11-04 00:00 UT   10 40 08.4   +46 32 38    16.175   16.053   81.1    3.5   303   21.8 
2026-11-05 00:00 UT   10 40 14.0   +46 33 47    16.166   16.058   81.9    3.5   303   21.8 
2026-11-06 00:00 UT   10 40 19.2   +46 34 57    16.157   16.063   82.8    3.5   302   21.8 
2026-11-07 00:00 UT   10 40 24.1   +46 36 10    16.148   16.068   83.6    3.5   302   21.8 
2026-11-08 00:00 UT   10 40 28.7   +46 37 25    16.139   16.073   84.4    3.5   301   21.8 
2026-11-09 00:00 UT   10 40 32.9   +46 38 42    16.130   16.078   85.2    3.5   301   21.8 
2026-11-10 00:00 UT   10 40 36.9   +46 40 00    16.121   16.084   86.0    3.5   300   21.8 
2026-11-11 00:00 UT   10 40 40.6   +46 41 21    16.112   16.089   86.9    3.5   299   21.8 
2026-11-12 00:00 UT   10 40 43.9   +46 42 44    16.103   16.094   87.7    3.5   299   21.8 
2026-11-13 00:00 UT   10 40 46.9   +46 44 09    16.094   16.099   88.5    3.5   298   21.8 




    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.

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