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Comet

Sun-Gao

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C/2026 B2 (Sun-Gao)

Sun-Gao is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 1.28 AU to 1,068.39 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 12,369.2 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 25 August 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
3.907 AU
True anomaly
110.13°
Distance from Earth
3.007 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 Sun-Gao — 3.907 AU from the Sun Sun-Gao
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Sun-Gao is 3.007 AU from Earth today (25.0 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
02h 18m 41s
Declination
+40° 53′ 50″
Constellation
Andromeda
Distance from Earth
3.01 AU
Elongation from the Sun
151.2° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the northern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far south.

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
534.838 AU
Eccentricity
0.9976
Inclination
59.58°
Orbital period
12,369.2 years
Perihelion
1.284 AU
Aphelion
1,068.392 AU
Longitude of ascending node
234.64°
Argument of periapsis
47.3°
Epoch · J2000
2461085.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 176.8 LD
0.4544 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.721

Orbit quality

Observations used
194
Data arc
217 days
First observed
19 January 2026
Last observed
24 August 2026
Residual RMS
0.96 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
25 August 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
13.5
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 8.8
13.5

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2026 B2

Named

Sources