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C/2017 K1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion12 Mar 201819.77.264 AU6.669 AU 15h06m-15°25'123.4°6.6°285°
Nearest approach29 Apr 201819.67.270 AU6.265 AU 14h30m-10°50'176.2°0.5°201°
Today13 Dec 202525.617.605 AU16.925 AU 08h50m+44°59'132.5°2.4°261°
C/2017 K1 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-12-13
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. (7.0 + 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 C/2017 K1 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9996060
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 7.2640240
    i (Inclination)                 : 154.02530
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 225.65440
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 4.15570
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 221.91722
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 1.81880
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458190.29800

    Epoch                           : 2025 Dec 12
    Reference                       : MPC115882

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-12-12 00:00 UT   08 50 39.4   +44 57 27    16.932   17.600  131.5    2.4   262   25.6 
2025-12-13 00:00 UT   08 50 22.4   +44 59 23    16.926   17.604  132.3    2.4   261   25.6 
2025-12-13 04:58 UT   08 50 18.9   +44 59 47    16.925   17.605  132.5    2.4   261   25.6 
2025-12-14 00:00 UT   08 50 05.2   +45 01 18    16.920   17.609  133.2    2.3   260   25.6 
2025-12-15 00:00 UT   08 49 47.7   +45 03 14    16.914   17.613  134.0    2.3   259   25.6 
2025-12-16 00:00 UT   08 49 29.9   +45 05 08    16.909   17.617  134.9    2.3   258   25.6 
2025-12-17 00:00 UT   08 49 11.8   +45 07 02    16.904   17.622  135.7    2.2   257   25.6 
2025-12-18 00:00 UT   08 48 53.5   +45 08 55    16.899   17.626  136.5    2.2   256   25.6 
2025-12-19 00:00 UT   08 48 34.8   +45 10 47    16.894   17.631  137.4    2.2   255   25.6 
2025-12-20 00:00 UT   08 48 16.0   +45 12 39    16.889   17.635  138.2    2.1   254   25.6 
2025-12-21 00:00 UT   08 47 56.8   +45 14 30    16.885   17.640  139.0    2.1   253   25.6 
2025-12-22 00:00 UT   08 47 37.4   +45 16 19    16.881   17.644  139.8    2.1   251   25.6 
2025-12-23 00:00 UT   08 47 17.8   +45 18 08    16.878   17.648  140.5    2.0   250   25.6 




    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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