|
C/2017 E3 (PANSTARRS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Nearest approach | 25 Apr 2017 | 16.2 | 5.909 AU | 5.048 AU | 12h45m | -41°46' | 146.0° | 5.5° | 39° |
| Perihelion | 6 Jun 2017 | 16.2 | 5.901 AU | 5.295 AU | 12h37m | -33°58' | 122.4° | 8.4° | 97° |
| Today | 11 Dec 2025 | 26.9 | 19.300 AU | 19.568 AU | 18h54m | +46°05' | 72.7° | 2.8° | 24° |
C/2017 E3 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-12-11
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) : 1.0042490
q (Perihelion distance) : 5.9014350
i (Inclination) : 70.66710
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 220.76980
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 334.15300
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 211.65863
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -24.29191
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2457911.21470
Epoch : 2025 Dec 10
Reference : MPEC 2022-O08
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-12-10 00:00 UT 18 53 38.3 +46 06 46 19.555 19.292 73.1 2.8 26 26.9
2025-12-11 00:00 UT 18 53 57.3 +46 06 00 19.563 19.297 72.9 2.8 25 26.9
2025-12-11 14:27 UT 18 54 08.7 +46 05 34 19.568 19.300 72.7 2.8 24 26.9
2025-12-12 00:00 UT 18 54 16.3 +46 05 17 19.572 19.302 72.7 2.8 24 26.9
2025-12-13 00:00 UT 18 54 35.5 +46 04 36 19.580 19.306 72.4 2.8 23 26.9
2025-12-14 00:00 UT 18 54 54.8 +46 03 58 19.588 19.311 72.2 2.8 22 26.9
2025-12-15 00:00 UT 18 55 14.1 +46 03 23 19.596 19.315 72.0 2.8 21 26.9
2025-12-16 00:00 UT 18 55 33.5 +46 02 51 19.604 19.320 71.8 2.8 20 26.9
2025-12-17 00:00 UT 18 55 53.1 +46 02 21 19.612 19.325 71.6 2.8 19 26.9
2025-12-18 00:00 UT 18 56 12.6 +46 01 53 19.620 19.329 71.4 2.8 18 26.9
2025-12-19 00:00 UT 18 56 32.3 +46 01 29 19.628 19.334 71.2 2.8 17 26.9
2025-12-20 00:00 UT 18 56 52.0 +46 01 07 19.636 19.339 71.0 2.8 16 26.9
2025-12-21 00:00 UT 18 57 11.8 +46 00 48 19.643 19.343 70.8 2.8 15 26.9
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.
