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Comet

MAPS

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C/2025 L2 (MAPS)

MAPS is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.83 AU to 1,009.48 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 11,387.7 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 8 September 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
4.141 AU
True anomaly
68.49°
Distance from Earth
4.32 AU
As of
25 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Sun Earth — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth MAPS — 4.141 AU from the Sun MAPS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. MAPS is 4.32 AU from Earth today (35.9 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
08h 48m 07s
Declination
-40° 21′ 01″
Constellation
Vela
Distance from Earth
4.32 AU
Elongation from the Sun
73.18° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
506.158 AU
Eccentricity
0.9944
Inclination
86.58°
Orbital period
11,387.7 years
Perihelion
2.834 AU
Aphelion
1,009.483 AU
Longitude of ascending node
134.99°
Argument of periapsis
232.64°
Epoch · J2000
2460920.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 827.5 LD
2.1264 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.135

Orbit quality

Observations used
382
Data arc
365 days
First observed
2 June 2025
Last observed
2 June 2026
Residual RMS
0.5 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
8 September 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
10.6
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 11.5
10.6

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2025 L2

Named

Sources