About C/1999 U2 (SOHO)
C/1999 U2 (SOHO) is an uncommon comet. It swings within 0.049 AU of the Sun at perihelion.
Dives perilously close to the Sun — most don't survive the encounter.
Uncommon comet 30 EP
C/1999 U2 (SOHO)
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
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Score breakdown
· 3 badgesUncommon 33 pts → Rare
- Sungrazer +16
- Has a proper name +8
- Comet +6
Total score 30
3 more points to reach Rare.
Badges
- Comet · +6
- Sungrazer · +16
- Has a proper name · +8
Trivia
What makes it special
- Sungrazer. Dives perilously close to the Sun — most don't survive the encounter.
How we found it
- Named. Notable enough to have earned a proper name, not just a catalogue number.
Cosmic context
- One-way trip. On a hyperbolic path — it will leave the Solar System and never return.
- Tail. Its tail always points away from the Sun, never trailing behind its motion.
Properties
- eccentricity
- 1.0167
- inclination
- 26.81
- interstellar
- yes
- name
- C/1999 U2 (SOHO)
- named
- yes
- orbit class
- HYP
- perihelion au
- 0.049
- semi major au
- -2.936
- sungrazer
- yes
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, C/1999 U2 (SOHO) is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. Because it moves against the background stars, the live position panel on this page tracks where it is right now. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why C/1999 U2 (SOHO) is an uncommon comet
C/1999 U2 (SOHO) scores 30 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 3 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 3 science badges — Comet, Sungrazer and Has a proper name — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.