|
C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 24 Apr 2016 | 9.4 | 1.305 AU | 1.918 AU | 23h37m | +00°42' | 39.3° | 29.2° | 250° |
| Nearest approach | 23 Jun 2016 | 7.7 | 1.576 AU | 0.617 AU | 19h55m | -46°11' | 148.5° | 19.7° | 307° |
| Today | 1 Aug 2026 | 27.9 | 25.371 AU | 26.113 AU | 11h06m | -05°53' | 42.2° | 1.5° | 125° |
C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-08-01
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) : 1.0008990
q (Perihelion distance) : 1.3052910
i (Inclination) : 163.05360
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 132.03580
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 165.47390
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 145.95620
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 4.19255
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2457502.86260
Epoch : 2026 Jul 31
Reference : MPC194135
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-07-31 00:00 UT 11 06 40.6 -05 53 27 26.087 25.363 43.7 1.6 125 27.9
2026-08-01 00:00 UT 11 06 46.8 -05 53 47 26.103 25.368 42.8 1.6 125 27.9
2026-08-01 15:10 UT 11 06 50.8 -05 53 60 26.113 25.371 42.2 1.5 125 27.9
2026-08-02 00:00 UT 11 06 53.1 -05 54 07 26.119 25.373 41.9 1.5 125 27.9
2026-08-03 00:00 UT 11 06 59.4 -05 54 28 26.134 25.377 41.0 1.5 126 27.9
2026-08-04 00:00 UT 11 07 05.8 -05 54 51 26.149 25.382 40.1 1.5 126 27.9
2026-08-05 00:00 UT 11 07 12.3 -05 55 14 26.164 25.387 39.2 1.4 127 27.9
2026-08-06 00:00 UT 11 07 18.8 -05 55 37 26.179 25.392 38.3 1.4 127 27.9
2026-08-07 00:00 UT 11 07 25.5 -05 56 02 26.194 25.396 37.4 1.4 127 27.9
2026-08-08 00:00 UT 11 07 32.1 -05 56 27 26.208 25.401 36.5 1.4 128 28.0
2026-08-09 00:00 UT 11 07 38.9 -05 56 54 26.222 25.406 35.7 1.3 128 28.0
2026-08-10 00:00 UT 11 07 45.7 -05 57 21 26.236 25.410 34.8 1.3 129 28.0
2026-08-11 00:00 UT 11 07 52.6 -05 57 48 26.250 25.415 33.9 1.3 129 28.0
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.
