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C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach28 Dec 20199.82.339 AU1.528 AU 03h33m+52°26'136.2°16.9°115°
Perihelion6 May 20208.61.601 AU1.702 AU 07h04m+75°16'66.8°35.4°67°
Today12 Jul 202622.817.454 AU16.755 AU 19h55m-69°42'132.1°2.5°350°
C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-07-12
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. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.7 + 5 log[∆] + 8.9 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 T2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9991150
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.6008090
    i (Inclination)                 : 57.24870
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 64.37260
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 92.78730
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 339.51500
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 57.14347
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458976.40220
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 76929.76

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 11
    Reference                       : MPC194153

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-07-11 00:00 UT   19 56 10.1   -69 41 28    16.747   17.447  132.2    2.5   349   22.8 
2026-07-12 00:00 UT   19 55 34.9   -69 42 22    16.754   17.452  132.1    2.5   350   22.8 
2026-07-12 05:52 UT   19 55 26.3   -69 42 35    16.755   17.454  132.1    2.5   350   22.8 
2026-07-13 00:00 UT   19 54 59.6   -69 43 13    16.760   17.458  132.0    2.5   351   22.8 
2026-07-14 00:00 UT   19 54 24.2   -69 44 00    16.767   17.463  131.9    2.5   353   22.8 
2026-07-15 00:00 UT   19 53 48.7   -69 44 45    16.774   17.469  131.8    2.5   354   22.8 
2026-07-16 00:00 UT   19 53 13.2   -69 45 26    16.782   17.474  131.7    2.5   356   22.8 
2026-07-17 00:00 UT   19 52 37.6   -69 46 04    16.789   17.480  131.5    2.5   357   22.8 
2026-07-18 00:00 UT   19 52 02.0   -69 46 39    16.797   17.485  131.3    2.5   359   22.8 
2026-07-19 00:00 UT   19 51 26.4   -69 47 11    16.805   17.491  131.2    2.5     0   22.8 
2026-07-20 00:00 UT   19 50 50.8   -69 47 40    16.813   17.496  131.0    2.5     2   22.8 
2026-07-21 00:00 UT   19 50 15.3   -69 48 06    16.821   17.502  130.8    2.5     3   22.8 
2026-07-22 00:00 UT   19 49 39.8   -69 48 28    16.830   17.507  130.5    2.5     4   22.8 




    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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