C/2017 S3 (PANSTARRS) - DISINTEGRATED |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Disintegration | 26 Jul 2018 | 7.3 | 0.717 AU | 0.957 AU | 05h57m | +51°45' | 42.5° | 73.1° | 306° |
Nearest approach | 7 Aug 2018 | 5.2 | 0.381 AU | 0.756 AU | 08h02m | +25°45' | 18.5° | 122.6° | 297° |
Perihelion | 17 Aug 2018 | - | 0.203 AU | 0.973 AU | 09h30m | +02°33' | 11.5° | 95.4° | 197° |
Today | 27 Apr 2024 | - | 17.741 AU | 17.557 AU | 13h15m | +66°23' | 98.9° | 3.2° | 164° |
C/2017 S3 (PANSTARRS)- 2024-04-27
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.)
The orbital elements of C/2017 S3 (PANSTARRS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0000970
q (Perihelion distance) : 0.2034580
i (Inclination) : 99.14200
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 171.18370
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 255.74140
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 139.16986
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -73.11366
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2458347.56100
Epoch : 2023 Sep 24
Reference : MPC114599
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC.
The gray curve is based on the absolute magnitude and slope parameter as calculated from the original MPEC, or the latest values provided by the MPC (12.90 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]), whereas the red curve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 9.21 + 5 log[∆] + 12.34 log[r]). The additional green curve shows the effect of forward scattering, occurring when the comet is between the earth and the sun, for a gas-to-dust light ratio δ90 of 0.30. (See Marcus 2007)
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.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.
The following chart shows the current location of the comet in a smaller, upside-down telescopic field of view.
A printable version of the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Ephemerides:
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2024-04-27 00:00 UT 13 15 30.4 +66 23 29 17.555 17.741 99.0 3.2 165 30.8
2024-04-27 02:47 UT 13 15 27.1 +66 23 25 17.557 17.741 98.9 3.2 164 30.8
2024-04-28 00:00 UT 13 15 01.5 +66 22 57 17.568 17.746 98.5 3.2 164 30.8
2024-04-29 00:00 UT 13 14 32.8 +66 22 22 17.581 17.752 98.1 3.2 163 30.8
2024-04-30 00:00 UT 13 14 04.3 +66 21 44 17.595 17.758 97.7 3.2 162 30.9
2024-05-01 00:00 UT 13 13 36.1 +66 21 02 17.608 17.764 97.2 3.2 161 30.9
2024-05-02 00:00 UT 13 13 08.1 +66 20 16 17.621 17.769 96.8 3.2 160 30.9
2024-05-03 00:00 UT 13 12 40.4 +66 19 28 17.634 17.775 96.4 3.2 159 30.9
2024-05-04 00:00 UT 13 12 12.9 +66 18 35 17.647 17.781 95.9 3.2 158 30.9
2024-05-05 00:00 UT 13 11 45.8 +66 17 40 17.661 17.787 95.5 3.2 157 30.9
2024-05-06 00:00 UT 13 11 18.9 +66 16 41 17.674 17.792 95.1 3.2 156 30.9
2024-05-07 00:00 UT 13 10 52.4 +66 15 39 17.688 17.798 94.6 3.2 155 30.9
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.