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P/2017 K3 (Gasparovic)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Today1 Jan 202627.98.210 AU7.265 AU 05h35m+28°08'162.9°2.0°103°
Nearest approach8 May 203019.22.455 AU1.463 AU 14h01m-17°50'166.0°5.7°89°
Perihelion30 Jul 203019.82.353 AU2.030 AU 14h31m-19°53'95.3°25.4°108°
P/2017 K3 (Gasparovic)- 2026-01-01
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. (14.5 + 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 P/2017 K3 (Gasparovic) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.5790710
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.3526230
    i (Inclination)                 : 4.27220
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 354.14790
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 253.26780
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 67.37169
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -4.09100
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2462712.53020
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 13.21

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 12
    Reference                       : MPEC 2021-N06

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.616

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-12-31 00:00 UT   05 35 50.1   +28 09 29     7.260    8.212  164.7    1.8   106   27.9 
2026-01-01 00:00 UT   05 35 22.4   +28 09 03     7.263    8.211  163.6    1.9   104   27.9 
2026-01-01 15:49 UT   05 35 04.3   +28 08 46     7.265    8.210  162.9    2.0   103   27.9 
2026-01-02 00:00 UT   05 34 55.0   +28 08 36     7.266    8.209  162.6    2.1   103   27.9 
2026-01-03 00:00 UT   05 34 27.8   +28 08 08     7.269    8.207  161.5    2.2   102   27.9 
2026-01-04 00:00 UT   05 34 00.8   +28 07 40     7.273    8.206  160.4    2.3   101   27.9 
2026-01-05 00:00 UT   05 33 34.1   +28 07 10     7.277    8.204  159.3    2.4   100   27.9 
2026-01-06 00:00 UT   05 33 07.6   +28 06 40     7.281    8.202  158.2    2.5   100   28.0 
2026-01-07 00:00 UT   05 32 41.4   +28 06 08     7.286    8.201  157.2    2.7    99   28.0 
2026-01-08 00:00 UT   05 32 15.5   +28 05 36     7.291    8.199  156.1    2.8    98   28.0 
2026-01-09 00:00 UT   05 31 49.9   +28 05 04     7.296    8.197  155.0    2.9    98   28.0 
2026-01-10 00:00 UT   05 31 24.6   +28 04 30     7.301    8.196  153.9    3.0    97   28.0 
2026-01-11 00:00 UT   05 30 59.6   +28 03 56     7.307    8.194  152.8    3.1    97   28.0 




    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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