Skip to content
Public Universe
Comet

Bok

Add to an observing list or journal →

C/2026 AZ17 (Bok)

Bok is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.47 AU to 127.4 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 523.3 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 22 October 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
2.494 AU
True anomaly
349.33°
Distance from Earth
2.814 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 Bok — 2.494 AU from the Sun Bok
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Bok is 2.814 AU from Earth today (23.4 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
18h 02m 25s
Declination
-02° 21′ 06″
Constellation
Serpens
Distance from Earth
2.82 AU
Elongation from the Sun
60.92° — well clear of the Sun

Visible from both hemispheres.

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
64.935 AU
Eccentricity
0.9619
Inclination
36.23°
Orbital period
523.3 years
Perihelion
2.473 AU
Aphelion
127.396 AU
Longitude of ascending node
149.97°
Argument of periapsis
146.91°
Epoch · J2000
2461224.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 592.5 LD
1.5225 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
1.638

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 3).

Observations used
844
Data arc
278 days
First observed
13 January 2026
Last observed
18 October 2026
Residual RMS
0.51 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
22 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
14.16
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 15.3
9.4

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2026 AZ17

Named

Sources