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Comet

Fitzsimmons

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C/2018 X2 (Fitzsimmons)

Fitzsimmons is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.13 AU to 307.77 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 1,928.8 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 April 2021.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
18.946 AU
True anomaly
141.99°
Distance from Earth
19.201 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 Fitzsimmons — 18.946 AU from the Sun Fitzsimmons
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Fitzsimmons is 19.201 AU from Earth today (2.7 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
19h 11m 31s
Declination
-41° 14′ 22″
Constellation
Corona Australis
Distance from Earth
19.22 AU
Elongation from the Sun
72.92° — 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
154.95 AU
Eccentricity
0.9863
Inclination
23.07°
Orbital period
1,928.8 years
Perihelion
2.126 AU
Aphelion
307.774 AU
Longitude of ascending node
340.83°
Argument of periapsis
162.05°
Epoch · J2000
2458524.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 447.0 LD
1.1486 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
1.691

Orbit quality

Observations used
390
Data arc
392 days
First observed
8 December 2018
Last observed
4 January 2020
Residual RMS
0.59 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
10.6
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 12.8
10.6

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2018 X2

Named

Sources