C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	23 Apr 2016	9.4	1.312 AU	1.932 AU	23h36m	+00°33'	39.0°	28.8°	250°
Nearest approach	22 Jun 2016	7.8	1.585 AU	0.626 AU	19h54m	-45°59'	148.7°	19.4°	307°
Today	2 Mar 2026	27.6	24.646 AU	23.690 AU	11h14m	-07°38'	164.1°	0.6°	339°

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 6.8 + 5 log[∆] + 10.0 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/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0009280
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.3122350
    i (Inclination)                 : 163.07330
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 132.05650
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 165.47680
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 145.97551
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 4.18699
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2457502.15160

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 01
    Reference                       : MPC111767

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-01 00:00 UT   11 14 39.9   -07 40 15    23.689   24.638  163.0    0.7   335   27.6 
2026-03-02 00:00 UT   11 14 30.1   -07 39 17    23.690   24.643  163.7    0.6   338   27.6 
2026-03-02 12:50 UT   11 14 24.9   -07 38 45    23.690   24.646  164.1    0.6   339   27.6 
2026-03-03 00:00 UT   11 14 20.3   -07 38 17    23.691   24.648  164.5    0.6   341   27.6 
2026-03-04 00:00 UT   11 14 10.4   -07 37 17    23.693   24.653  165.1    0.6   344   27.6 
2026-03-05 00:00 UT   11 14 00.6   -07 36 16    23.694   24.658  165.8    0.6   347   27.6 
2026-03-06 00:00 UT   11 13 50.7   -07 35 15    23.697   24.662  166.3    0.5   351   27.6 
2026-03-07 00:00 UT   11 13 40.8   -07 34 13    23.699   24.667  166.9    0.5   354   27.6 
2026-03-08 00:00 UT   11 13 31.0   -07 33 11    23.702   24.672  167.3    0.5   359   27.6 
2026-03-09 00:00 UT   11 13 21.1   -07 32 08    23.705   24.677  167.7    0.5     3   27.6 
2026-03-10 00:00 UT   11 13 11.2   -07 31 04    23.709   24.682  168.0    0.5     8   27.6 
2026-03-11 00:00 UT   11 13 01.4   -07 29 60    23.712   24.686  168.3    0.5    13   27.6 
2026-03-12 00:00 UT   11 12 51.5   -07 28 55    23.716   24.691  168.4    0.5    18   27.6 

    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.