|
C/2017 Y2 (PANSTARRS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Perihelion | 4 Nov 2020 | 16.8 | 4.617 AU | 5.308 AU | 17h20m | -01°44' | 41.8° | 8.2° | 68° |
| Nearest approach | 24 May 2021 | 16.5 | 4.887 AU | 3.883 AU | 16h39m | -17°06' | 171.3° | 1.8° | 243° |
| Today | 12 May 2026 | 25.8 | 14.349 AU | 14.036 AU | 09h39m | -42°05' | 106.1° | 3.9° | 100° |
C/2017 Y2 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-05-12
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 4.0 + 5 log[∆] + 13.9 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 Y2 (PANSTARRS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0006490
q (Perihelion distance) : 4.6166230
i (Inclination) : 128.44410
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 66.01050
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 147.73590
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 87.44098
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 24.71456
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459158.14220
Epoch : 2026 Mar 16
Reference : MPEC 2026-E44
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-05-11 00:00 UT 09 39 37.0 -42 12 35 14.009 14.340 107.2 3.9 99 25.8
2026-05-12 00:00 UT 09 39 31.9 -42 08 46 14.023 14.345 106.6 3.9 99 25.8
2026-05-12 19:40 UT 09 39 28.1 -42 05 38 14.036 14.349 106.1 3.9 100 25.8
2026-05-13 00:00 UT 09 39 27.3 -42 04 57 14.038 14.350 106.0 3.9 100 25.8
2026-05-14 00:00 UT 09 39 23.0 -42 01 10 14.053 14.356 105.4 3.9 101 25.8
2026-05-15 00:00 UT 09 39 19.0 -41 57 24 14.068 14.361 104.8 3.9 102 25.8
2026-05-16 00:00 UT 09 39 15.5 -41 53 39 14.083 14.366 104.3 3.9 103 25.8
2026-05-17 00:00 UT 09 39 12.3 -41 49 56 14.099 14.371 103.7 3.9 104 25.8
2026-05-18 00:00 UT 09 39 09.5 -41 46 14 14.114 14.377 103.1 3.9 105 25.8
2026-05-19 00:00 UT 09 39 07.1 -41 42 34 14.129 14.382 102.5 3.9 105 25.8
2026-05-20 00:00 UT 09 39 05.0 -41 38 55 14.145 14.387 101.9 3.9 106 25.8
2026-05-21 00:00 UT 09 39 03.3 -41 35 18 14.160 14.393 101.3 4.0 107 25.8
2026-05-22 00:00 UT 09 39 02.0 -41 31 43 14.176 14.398 100.7 4.0 108 25.8
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.
