C/2020 O2 (Amaral) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Nearest approach | 10 Jun 2021 | 15.4 | 4.894 AU | 3.880 AU | 16h59m | -22°33' | 176.2° | 0.8° | 98° |
Perihelion | 27 Aug 2021 | 15.7 | 4.856 AU | 4.682 AU | 16h30m | -11°43' | 93.9° | 12.0° | 99° |
Today | 15 Jul 2025 | 21.2 | 11.062 AU | 11.169 AU | 23h02m | +70°45' | 81.3° | 5.2° | 227° |
C/2020 O2 (Amaral)- 2025-07-15
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.)
The orbital elements of C/2020 O2 (Amaral) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.9995850
q (Perihelion distance) : 4.8564820
i (Inclination) : 71.76230
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 256.79120
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 10.17240
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 260.00525
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 9.65638
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459453.76330
Epoch : 2025 Jul 14
Reference : MPEC 2024-JU4
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC.
The gray curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from the original MPEC, or the latest values provided by the MPC (8.00 + 5 log[∆] + 8.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.52 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]).
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.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.
The following chart shows the current location of the comet in a smaller, upside-down telescopic field of view.
A printable version of the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Ephemerides:
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-07-15 00:00 UT 23 03 04.4 +70 42 36 11.170 11.057 81.0 5.2 228 21.2
2025-07-15 20:28 UT 23 02 47.6 +70 45 51 11.169 11.062 81.3 5.2 227 21.2
2025-07-16 00:00 UT 23 02 44.6 +70 46 24 11.169 11.063 81.4 5.2 227 21.2
2025-07-17 00:00 UT 23 02 23.9 +70 50 09 11.167 11.068 81.8 5.2 226 21.2
2025-07-18 00:00 UT 23 02 02.2 +70 53 50 11.166 11.074 82.2 5.2 225 21.2
2025-07-19 00:00 UT 23 01 39.7 +70 57 27 11.165 11.079 82.5 5.2 224 21.2
2025-07-20 00:00 UT 23 01 16.3 +71 00 60 11.164 11.085 82.9 5.2 223 21.2
2025-07-21 00:00 UT 23 00 51.9 +71 04 29 11.163 11.090 83.3 5.2 222 21.2
2025-07-22 00:00 UT 23 00 26.8 +71 07 54 11.161 11.096 83.7 5.2 221 21.2
2025-07-23 00:00 UT 23 00 00.7 +71 11 14 11.160 11.101 84.1 5.2 220 21.2
2025-07-24 00:00 UT 22 59 33.8 +71 14 31 11.159 11.107 84.4 5.2 219 21.2
2025-07-25 00:00 UT 22 59 06.0 +71 17 43 11.157 11.112 84.8 5.2 218 21.2
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.