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Comet

Bok

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C/2026 A2 (Bok)

Bok is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 1.94 AU to 1,638.34 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 23,487.6 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 22 October 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
2.066 AU
True anomaly
331.14°
Distance from Earth
1.684 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 Bok — 2.066 AU from the Sun Bok
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Bok is 1.684 AU from Earth today (14.0 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
19h 40m 06s
Declination
+58° 00′ 10″
Constellation
Cygnus
Distance from Earth
1.68 AU
Elongation from the Sun
97.66° — 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
820.137 AU
Eccentricity
0.9976
Inclination
82.31°
Orbital period
23,487.6 years
Perihelion
1.938 AU
Aphelion
1,638.337 AU
Longitude of ascending node
206.59°
Argument of periapsis
155.94°
Epoch · J2000
2461236.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 388.5 LD
0.9982 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
0.237

Orbit quality

Observations used
1,732
Data arc
278 days
First observed
15 January 2026
Last observed
20 October 2026
Residual RMS
0.41 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
22 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
9.2
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 12
9.2

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2026 A2

Named

Sources