|
C/2017 E3 (PANSTARRS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Nearest approach | 25 Apr 2017 | 16.1 | 5.907 AU | 5.046 AU | 12h45m | -41°47' | 146.0° | 5.5° | 39° |
| Perihelion | 6 Jun 2017 | 16.2 | 5.899 AU | 5.297 AU | 12h37m | -33°55' | 122.1° | 8.4° | 97° |
| Today | 27 Jun 2026 | 27.3 | 20.209 AU | 19.944 AU | 19h14m | +52°07' | 103.7° | 2.8° | 192° |
C/2017 E3 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-06-27
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 .9 + 5 log[∆] + 15.2 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/2017 E3 (PANSTARRS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0042660
q (Perihelion distance) : 5.8989890
i (Inclination) : 70.66580
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 220.73340
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 334.15040
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 211.62061
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -24.29412
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2457911.47590
Epoch : 2026 Jun 26
Reference : MPEC 2026-L50
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-06-26 00:00 UT 19 14 20.7 +52 07 08 19.942 20.204 103.5 2.8 193 27.3
2026-06-27 00:00 UT 19 14 05.2 +52 07 49 19.944 20.209 103.7 2.8 192 27.3
2026-06-27 02:56 UT 19 14 03.3 +52 07 54 19.944 20.209 103.7 2.8 192 27.3
2026-06-28 00:00 UT 19 13 49.7 +52 08 28 19.945 20.213 103.8 2.8 191 27.3
2026-06-29 00:00 UT 19 13 34.1 +52 09 04 19.947 20.218 104.0 2.8 190 27.3
2026-06-30 00:00 UT 19 13 18.5 +52 09 37 19.949 20.222 104.2 2.8 189 27.3
2026-07-01 00:00 UT 19 13 02.8 +52 10 07 19.951 20.227 104.3 2.8 188 27.3
2026-07-02 00:00 UT 19 12 47.0 +52 10 33 19.953 20.232 104.5 2.8 187 27.3
2026-07-03 00:00 UT 19 12 31.3 +52 10 57 19.955 20.236 104.6 2.8 186 27.3
2026-07-04 00:00 UT 19 12 15.4 +52 11 18 19.958 20.241 104.7 2.8 185 27.3
2026-07-05 00:00 UT 19 11 59.6 +52 11 36 19.960 20.245 104.9 2.8 184 27.3
2026-07-06 00:00 UT 19 11 43.7 +52 11 51 19.962 20.250 105.0 2.8 183 27.3
2026-07-07 00:00 UT 19 11 27.8 +52 12 03 19.965 20.254 105.1 2.8 182 27.3
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.
