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C/2015 V4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion27 Aug 201619.85.456 AU6.214 AU09h09m-23°28'38.2°6.6°212°
Nearest approach1 Mar 201719.35.574 AU4.740 AU09h54m-25°41'144.3°6.0°23°
Today18 Oct 202526.816.513 AU16.967 AU16h34m+34°08'61.4°3.0°53°
C/2015 V4 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-10-18
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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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. The light curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from an MPEC, or the latest values provided by the minor planet center. (8.5 + 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/2015 V4 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.7043240
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.4561580
    i (Inclination)                 : 60.79850
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 179.95140
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 306.90560
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 146.94098
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -44.26684
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2457628.43080
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 79.27

    Epoch                           : 2021 Sep 25
    Reference                       : MPC104791

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-10-17 00:00 UT   16 34 07.9   +34 11 60    16.953   16.508   62.0    3.1    55   26.8 
2025-10-18 00:00 UT   16 34 22.9   +34 09 53    16.961   16.511   61.6    3.0    54   26.8 
2025-10-18 18:49 UT   16 34 34.7   +34 08 16    16.967   16.513   61.4    3.0    53   26.8 
2025-10-19 00:00 UT   16 34 38.0   +34 07 49    16.969   16.514   61.3    3.0    53   26.8 
2025-10-20 00:00 UT   16 34 53.3   +34 05 47    16.977   16.517   61.0    3.0    52   26.8 
2025-10-21 00:00 UT   16 35 08.8   +34 03 46    16.985   16.520   60.6    3.0    51   26.8 
2025-10-22 00:00 UT   16 35 24.5   +34 01 48    16.993   16.523   60.3    3.0    50   26.8 
2025-10-23 00:00 UT   16 35 40.3   +33 59 52    17.001   16.527   60.0    3.0    49   26.8 
2025-10-24 00:00 UT   16 35 56.3   +33 57 57    17.008   16.530   59.7    3.0    48   26.8 
2025-10-25 00:00 UT   16 36 12.4   +33 56 05    17.016   16.533   59.5    3.0    47   26.8 
2025-10-26 00:00 UT   16 36 28.7   +33 54 15    17.023   16.536   59.2    3.0    46   26.8 
2025-10-27 00:00 UT   16 36 45.2   +33 52 27    17.030   16.539   58.9    2.9    44   26.8 
2025-10-28 00:00 UT   16 37 01.8   +33 50 42    17.037   16.542   58.6    2.9    43   26.8 




    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.

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