C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	23 Aug 2014	6.9	1.059 AU	1.982 AU	08h58m	+09°29'	17.2°	16.4°	262°
Nearest approach	29 Oct 2014	6.7	1.512 AU	0.972 AU	06h02m	-47°29'	100.6°	40.2°	304°
Today	13 Dec 2025	25.4	27.293 AU	27.860 AU	21h12m	-15°51'	54.0°	1.7°	73°

The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)

Light curve

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.2 + 5 log[∆] + 9.1 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)

Charts

The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.

The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.

Orbital elements

The orbital elements of C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9998550
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.0585900
    i (Inclination)                 : 142.58450
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 317.76200
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 203.18780
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 298.97288
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -13.84148
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2456892.83010
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 623791.82

    Epoch                           : 2025 Dec 13
    Reference                       : MPC103843

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-12-12 00:00 UT   21 12 08.3   -15 51 45    27.825   27.285   55.8    1.7    73   25.4 
2025-12-13 00:00 UT   21 12 12.9   -15 51 21    27.844   27.289   54.8    1.7    73   25.4 
2025-12-13 20:30 UT   21 12 16.9   -15 51 00    27.860   27.293   54.0    1.7    73   25.4 
2025-12-14 00:00 UT   21 12 17.6   -15 50 57    27.863   27.294   53.8    1.7    73   25.4 
2025-12-15 00:00 UT   21 12 22.4   -15 50 32    27.881   27.298   52.8    1.6    73   25.4 
2025-12-16 00:00 UT   21 12 27.3   -15 50 06    27.900   27.303   51.8    1.6    73   25.4 
2025-12-17 00:00 UT   21 12 32.3   -15 49 40    27.918   27.308   50.8    1.6    73   25.4 
2025-12-18 00:00 UT   21 12 37.4   -15 49 13    27.936   27.312   49.8    1.6    73   25.4 
2025-12-19 00:00 UT   21 12 42.6   -15 48 46    27.953   27.317   48.8    1.6    73   25.4 
2025-12-20 00:00 UT   21 12 47.9   -15 48 18    27.971   27.321   47.8    1.5    72   25.4 
2025-12-21 00:00 UT   21 12 53.4   -15 47 50    27.988   27.326   46.9    1.5    72   25.4 
2025-12-22 00:00 UT   21 12 58.9   -15 47 21    28.006   27.330   45.9    1.5    72   25.4 
2025-12-23 00:00 UT   21 13 04.5   -15 46 52    28.023   27.335   44.9    1.5    72   25.4 

    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between comet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km      
    

Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.