C/2020 V2 (ZTF)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	8 May 2023	10.4	2.229 AU	3.219 AU	02h39m	+24°58'	9.2°	4.2°	328°
Nearest approach	17 Sep 2023	9.9	2.684 AU	1.855 AU	02h11m	-23°05'	137.5°	14.7°	294°
Today	19 Oct 2026	19.0	11.043 AU	11.331 AU	17h48m	-66°58'	70.7°	4.9°	111°

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 5.0 + 5 log[∆] + 8.4 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/2020 V2 (ZTF) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0013090
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.2292410
    i (Inclination)                 : 131.60070
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 212.46030
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 162.51130
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 224.27585
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 12.98666
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460073.25410

    Epoch                           : 2026 Oct 18
    Reference                       : MPC188409

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-10-18 00:00 UT   17 48 19.0   -67 02 33    11.308   11.035   71.6    4.9   110   18.9 
2026-10-19 00:00 UT   17 48 37.0   -66 59 01    11.326   11.041   70.9    4.9   111   19.0 
2026-10-19 06:47 UT   17 48 42.2   -66 58 02    11.331   11.043   70.7    4.9   111   19.0 
2026-10-20 00:00 UT   17 48 55.7   -66 55 32    11.344   11.048   70.3    4.9   111   19.0 
2026-10-21 00:00 UT   17 49 15.0   -66 52 05    11.361   11.054   69.6    4.8   112   19.0 
2026-10-22 00:00 UT   17 49 35.0   -66 48 40    11.379   11.061   68.9    4.8   113   19.0 
2026-10-23 00:00 UT   17 49 55.5   -66 45 18    11.397   11.067   68.3    4.8   113   19.0 
2026-10-24 00:00 UT   17 50 16.7   -66 41 58    11.414   11.074   67.6    4.8   114   19.0 
2026-10-25 00:00 UT   17 50 38.6   -66 38 41    11.431   11.080   67.0    4.7   115   19.0 
2026-10-26 00:00 UT   17 51 00.9   -66 35 26    11.449   11.087   66.3    4.7   116   19.0 
2026-10-27 00:00 UT   17 51 23.9   -66 32 14    11.466   11.093   65.7    4.7   116   19.0 
2026-10-28 00:00 UT   17 51 47.5   -66 29 04    11.483   11.100   65.0    4.7   117   19.0 
2026-10-29 00:00 UT   17 52 11.5   -66 25 57    11.500   11.107   64.4    4.6   118   19.0 

    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.