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Comet

MAPS

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C/2026 A1 (MAPS)

MAPS is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.01 AU to 306.78 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 1,899.8 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 5 June 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
3.777 AU
True anomaly
175.56°
Distance from Earth
3.717 AU
As of
24 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 — 3.777 AU from the Sun MAPS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. MAPS is 3.717 AU from Earth today (30.9 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
08h 00m 18s
Declination
-16° 10′ 45″
Constellation
Puppis
Distance from Earth
3.72 AU
Elongation from the Sun
86.56° — 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
153.392 AU
Eccentricity
1
Inclination
144.49°
Orbital period
1,899.8 years
Perihelion
0.006 AU
Aphelion
306.778 AU
Longitude of ascending node
7.87°
Argument of periapsis
86.32°
Epoch · J2000
2461083.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 216.3 LD
0.5558 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
-0.042

Orbit quality

Observations used
472
Data arc
74 days
First observed
13 January 2026
Last observed
28 March 2026
Residual RMS
0.54 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
5 June 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
14.8
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 14.5
14.8

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2026 A1

Named

Sources