C/2019 T4 (ATLAS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	4 Apr 2022	11.9	4.271 AU	3.325 AU	11h49m	-20°41'	158.5°	4.9°	48°
Perihelion	8 Jun 2022	12.2	4.237 AU	3.889 AU	11h51m	-07°31'	103.1°	13.5°	112°
Today	29 Jun 2026	19.4	11.510 AU	10.983 AU	19h30m	+36°12'	118.9°	4.4°	195°

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 2.0 + 5 log[∆] + 11.5 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 T4 (ATLAS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9953930
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.2365170
    i (Inclination)                 : 53.62600
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 199.85920
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 351.12940
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 194.57109
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -7.13219
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459739.37540
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 27885.99

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jun 28
    Reference                       : MPC194163

    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
2026-06-28 00:00 UT   19 31 11.7   +36 11 57    10.981   11.502  118.5    4.5   197   19.4 
2026-06-29 00:00 UT   19 30 53.2   +36 12 39    10.982   11.508  118.8    4.4   196   19.4 
2026-06-29 09:36 UT   19 30 45.7   +36 12 54    10.983   11.510  118.9    4.4   195   19.4 
2026-06-30 00:00 UT   19 30 34.5   +36 13 15    10.984   11.513  119.1    4.4   195   19.4 
2026-07-01 00:00 UT   19 30 15.7   +36 13 47    10.986   11.519  119.4    4.4   194   19.4 
2026-07-02 00:00 UT   19 29 56.9   +36 14 15    10.987   11.525  119.6    4.4   193   19.4 
2026-07-03 00:00 UT   19 29 38.0   +36 14 37    10.989   11.530  119.9    4.4   191   19.4 
2026-07-04 00:00 UT   19 29 19.0   +36 14 55    10.992   11.536  120.1    4.4   190   19.4 
2026-07-05 00:00 UT   19 28 59.9   +36 15 08    10.994   11.542  120.4    4.4   189   19.4 
2026-07-06 00:00 UT   19 28 40.8   +36 15 16    10.996   11.547  120.6    4.3   188   19.4 
2026-07-07 00:00 UT   19 28 21.6   +36 15 20    10.999   11.553  120.8    4.3   187   19.4 
2026-07-08 00:00 UT   19 28 02.4   +36 15 18    11.002   11.559  121.0    4.3   186   19.4 
2026-07-09 00:00 UT   19 27 43.2   +36 15 12    11.005   11.564  121.2    4.3   184   19.4 

    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.