460P/PANSTARRS
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	17 Oct 2025	28.3	3.405 AU	2.443 AU	02h29m	-00°07'	162.2°	5.1°	302°
Nearest approach	21 Sep 2026	22.6	1.016 AU	2.018 AU	11h40m	+00°37'	3.1°	3.0°	267°
Perihelion	21 Sep 2026	22.6	1.016 AU	2.018 AU	11h41m	+00°33'	3.0°	3.0°	268°

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. (21.0 + 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 460P/PANSTARRS are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.6642740
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.0163940
    i (Inclination)                 : 18.90040
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 180.51750
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 351.93170
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 172.87894
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -2.60579
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461305.10870
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 5.27

    Epoch                           : 2025 Oct 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2023-G14

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.797

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-10-16 00:00 UT   02 30 53.4   +00 05 02     2.456    3.414  161.1    5.4   298   28.3 
2025-10-17 00:00 UT   02 30 04.3   +00 03 32     2.447    3.408  161.8    5.2   301   28.3 
2025-10-17 12:14 UT   02 29 39.0   +00 07 54     2.443    3.405  162.2    5.1   302   28.3 
2025-10-18 00:00 UT   02 29 14.4   +00 12 05     2.439    3.402  162.5    5.0   304   28.3 
2025-10-19 00:00 UT   02 28 23.8   +00 20 38     2.431    3.397  163.2    4.9   308   28.2 
2025-10-20 00:00 UT   02 27 32.5   +00 29 10     2.424    3.391  163.7    4.7   312   28.2 
2025-10-21 00:00 UT   02 26 40.5   +00 37 40     2.416    3.385  164.2    4.6   316   28.2 
2025-10-22 00:00 UT   02 25 47.9   +00 46 08     2.409    3.379  164.7    4.5   320   28.2 
2025-10-23 00:00 UT   02 24 54.7   +00 54 35     2.403    3.374  165.0    4.4   325   28.2 
2025-10-24 00:00 UT   02 24 01.0   -01 02 58     2.396    3.368  165.2    4.3   329   28.2 
2025-10-25 00:00 UT   02 23 06.7   -01 11 18     2.390    3.362  165.3    4.3   334   28.2 
2025-10-26 00:00 UT   02 22 12.1   -01 19 35     2.385    3.356  165.4    4.3   339   28.1 
2025-10-27 00:00 UT   02 21 17.0   -01 27 48     2.379    3.350  165.3    4.3   344   28.1 

    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.