|
C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 23 Apr 2016 | 9.4 | 1.314 AU | 1.934 AU | 23h36m | +00°31' | 38.9° | 28.8° | 250° |
| Nearest approach | 22 Jun 2016 | 7.8 | 1.587 AU | 0.628 AU | 19h54m | -45°56' | 148.8° | 19.4° | 307° |
| Today | 4 Dec 2025 | 27.6 | 24.221 AU | 24.415 AU | 11h22m | -08°01' | 77.5° | 2.3° | 291° |
C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-12-04
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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) : 1.0009540
q (Perihelion distance) : 1.3140390
i (Inclination) : 163.07780
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 132.04280
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 165.48530
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 145.95395
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 4.18351
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2457502.06920
Epoch : 2025 Dec 03
Reference : MPC111767
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-12-03 00:00 UT 11 22 50.2 -08 00 36 24.429 24.215 76.3 2.3 291 27.6
2025-12-04 00:00 UT 11 22 50.9 -08 01 08 24.417 24.220 77.3 2.3 291 27.6
2025-12-04 03:48 UT 11 22 51.0 -08 01 13 24.415 24.221 77.5 2.3 291 27.6
2025-12-05 00:00 UT 11 22 51.4 -08 01 40 24.405 24.225 78.3 2.3 291 27.6
2025-12-06 00:00 UT 11 22 51.8 -08 02 10 24.393 24.230 79.3 2.3 291 27.6
2025-12-07 00:00 UT 11 22 51.9 -08 02 39 24.381 24.234 80.3 2.3 292 27.6
2025-12-08 00:00 UT 11 22 52.0 -08 03 08 24.369 24.239 81.3 2.3 292 27.6
2025-12-09 00:00 UT 11 22 51.9 -08 03 36 24.357 24.244 82.3 2.3 292 27.6
2025-12-10 00:00 UT 11 22 51.6 -08 04 02 24.344 24.249 83.2 2.3 292 27.6
2025-12-11 00:00 UT 11 22 51.1 -08 04 28 24.332 24.254 84.2 2.3 292 27.6
2025-12-12 00:00 UT 11 22 50.5 -08 04 53 24.320 24.259 85.2 2.3 293 27.6
2025-12-13 00:00 UT 11 22 49.8 -08 05 17 24.307 24.263 86.2 2.3 293 27.6
2025-12-14 00:00 UT 11 22 48.9 -08 05 40 24.295 24.268 87.2 2.3 293 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.
