C/2020 J1 (SONEAR)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	17 Apr 2021	13.0	3.344 AU	2.593 AU	16h43m	-36°52'	131.4°	13.0°	291°
Nearest approach	16 May 2021	12.8	3.355 AU	2.355 AU	15h24m	-29°16'	169.7°	3.1°	13°
Today	7 Apr 2026	23.7	13.795 AU	13.642 AU	08h37m	+57°05'	96.7°	4.1°	114°

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 4.9 + 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/2020 J1 (SONEAR) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9991520
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.3435490
    i (Inclination)                 : 142.31080
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 226.55470
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 341.51550
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 241.37231
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -11.17675
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459321.99710
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 247581.25

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 06
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    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
2026-04-06 00:00 UT   08 38 22.9   +57 08 11    13.614   13.787   97.9    4.1   115   23.7 
2026-04-07 00:00 UT   08 38 06.2   +57 06 02    13.633   13.793   97.1    4.1   114   23.7 
2026-04-07 10:23 UT   08 37 59.1   +57 05 05    13.642   13.795   96.7    4.1   114   23.7 
2026-04-08 00:00 UT   08 37 50.0   +57 03 51    13.653   13.798   96.3    4.1   113   23.7 
2026-04-09 00:00 UT   08 37 34.4   +57 01 39    13.672   13.804   95.5    4.1   113   23.7 
2026-04-10 00:00 UT   08 37 19.4   +56 59 25    13.692   13.810   94.7    4.1   112   23.7 
2026-04-11 00:00 UT   08 37 05.0   +56 57 10    13.711   13.815   93.9    4.1   111   23.7 
2026-04-12 00:00 UT   08 36 51.1   +56 54 53    13.731   13.821   93.1    4.2   111   23.7 
2026-04-13 00:00 UT   08 36 37.8   +56 52 35    13.750   13.827   92.3    4.2   110   23.7 
2026-04-14 00:00 UT   08 36 25.1   +56 50 16    13.770   13.833   91.5    4.2   109   23.7 
2026-04-15 00:00 UT   08 36 12.9   +56 47 56    13.790   13.838   90.7    4.2   109   23.7 
2026-04-16 00:00 UT   08 36 01.3   +56 45 35    13.809   13.844   89.9    4.2   108   23.7 
2026-04-17 00:00 UT   08 35 50.3   +56 43 13    13.829   13.850   89.1    4.2   107   23.7 

    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.