|
C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 27 May 2023 | 15.3 | 3.234 AU | 4.080 AU td > | 02h42m | +02°33' | 29.2° | 8.8° | 229° |
| Nearest approach | 25 Sep 2023 | 14.6 | 3.432 AU | 2.441 AU td > | 00h39m | +06°40' | 169.6° | 3.0° | 235° |
| Today | 15 Jun 2026 | 23.5 | 9.627 AU | 8.948 AU td > | 19h09m | +21°13' | 129.5° | 4.7° | 210° |
C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)- 2026-06-15
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.)
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 5.4 + 5 log[∆] + 13.6 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/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0009250
q (Perihelion distance) : 3.2343220
i (Inclination) : 140.11220
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 10.65340
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 334.65390
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 30.62745
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -15.93372
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2460092.00090
Epoch : 2026 Jun 14
Reference : MPC194178
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-06-14 00:00 UT 19 10 16.0 +21 11 58 8.948 9.621 129.0 4.7 211 23.5
2026-06-15 00:00 UT 19 09 42.7 +21 13 01 8.948 9.627 129.5 4.7 210 23.5
2026-06-15 00:17 UT 19 09 42.3 +21 13 02 8.948 9.627 129.5 4.7 210 23.5
2026-06-16 00:00 UT 19 09 09.1 +21 13 59 8.948 9.633 130.0 4.6 208 23.5
2026-06-17 00:00 UT 19 08 35.4 +21 14 52 8.949 9.640 130.5 4.6 207 23.5
2026-06-18 00:00 UT 19 08 01.5 +21 15 39 8.950 9.646 130.9 4.6 206 23.5
2026-06-19 00:00 UT 19 07 27.4 +21 16 22 8.951 9.653 131.4 4.5 204 23.5
2026-06-20 00:00 UT 19 06 53.2 +21 17 00 8.952 9.659 131.8 4.5 203 23.5
2026-06-21 00:00 UT 19 06 18.9 +21 17 33 8.953 9.665 132.2 4.5 202 23.5
2026-06-22 00:00 UT 19 05 44.5 +21 18 01 8.955 9.672 132.6 4.4 200 23.5
2026-06-23 00:00 UT 19 05 09.9 +21 18 24 8.957 9.678 132.9 4.4 199 23.5
2026-06-24 00:00 UT 19 04 35.3 +21 18 42 8.959 9.685 133.3 4.4 197 23.5
2026-06-25 00:00 UT 19 04 00.5 +21 18 55 8.961 9.691 133.6 4.4 196 23.5
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.