|
C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 27 May 2023 | 15.3 | 3.235 AU | 4.081 AU | 02h42m | +02°33' | 29.2° | 8.8° | 228° |
| Nearest approach | 25 Sep 2023 | 14.6 | 3.433 AU | 2.441 AU | 00h39m | +06°40' | 169.6° | 3.0° | 235° |
| Today | 25 Apr 2026 | 23.3 | 9.305 AU | 9.161 AU | 19h30m | +18°59' | 95.1° | 6.2° | 254° |
C/2021 X1 (Maury-Attard)- 2026-04-25
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) : 1.0008970
q (Perihelion distance) : 3.2345850
i (Inclination) : 140.11170
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 10.64740
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 334.65150
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 30.62331
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -15.93533
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2460091.96630
Epoch : 2026 Apr 25
Reference : MPEC 2026-E44
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-04-24 00:00 UT 19 31 17.8 +18 52 37 9.174 9.293 93.7 6.2 255 23.3
2026-04-25 00:00 UT 19 31 03.7 +18 56 29 9.167 9.300 94.5 6.2 255 23.3
2026-04-25 21:01 UT 19 30 51.0 +18 59 51 9.161 9.305 95.1 6.2 254 23.3
2026-04-26 00:00 UT 19 30 49.2 +19 00 19 9.160 9.306 95.2 6.2 254 23.3
2026-04-27 00:00 UT 19 30 34.2 +19 04 08 9.153 9.312 96.0 6.2 253 23.3
2026-04-28 00:00 UT 19 30 18.7 +19 07 55 9.146 9.319 96.8 6.2 253 23.3
2026-04-29 00:00 UT 19 30 02.8 +19 11 41 9.139 9.325 97.6 6.1 252 23.3
2026-04-30 00:00 UT 19 29 46.3 +19 15 24 9.132 9.332 98.3 6.1 251 23.3
2026-05-01 00:00 UT 19 29 29.4 +19 19 06 9.125 9.338 99.1 6.1 251 23.3
2026-05-02 00:00 UT 19 29 12.1 +19 22 46 9.118 9.345 99.9 6.1 250 23.3
2026-05-03 00:00 UT 19 28 54.2 +19 26 24 9.112 9.351 100.7 6.1 249 23.3
2026-05-04 00:00 UT 19 28 35.9 +19 30 00 9.105 9.358 101.4 6.1 249 23.3
2026-05-05 00:00 UT 19 28 17.2 +19 33 34 9.099 9.364 102.2 6.0 248 23.3
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.
