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P/2019 A4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Today20 Apr 202622.02.649 AU3.532 AU 00h39m-05°06'24.3°9.0°227°
Nearest approach15 Nov 202619.82.463 AU1.513 AU 03h29m-02°14'159.3°8.2°354°
Perihelion27 May 202721.32.385 AU3.245 AU 06h09m+20°40'26.8°11.0°96°
P/2019 A4 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-04-20
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. (15.0 + 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 P/2019 A4 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.0875260
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.3850880
    i (Inclination)                 : 13.30690
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 119.22630
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 343.52560
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 103.17114
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -3.74249
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461552.88040
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 4.23

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 19
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Active asteroid
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 3.365

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-19 00:00 UT   00 37 19.2   -05 16 37     3.539    2.650   23.6    8.7   227   22.0 
2026-04-20 00:00 UT   00 38 56.7   -05 08 08     3.533    2.649   24.1    8.9   227   22.0 
2026-04-20 05:08 UT   00 39 17.5   -05 06 19     3.532    2.649   24.3    9.0   227   22.0 
2026-04-21 00:00 UT   00 40 34.1   -04 59 41     3.528    2.648   24.7    9.1   227   22.0 
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   00 42 11.5   -04 51 16     3.522    2.647   25.2    9.3   228   22.0 
2026-04-23 00:00 UT   00 43 48.8   -04 42 53     3.516    2.646   25.7    9.5   228   22.0 
2026-04-24 00:00 UT   00 45 26.1   -04 34 33     3.510    2.645   26.2    9.7   229   22.0 
2026-04-25 00:00 UT   00 47 03.3   -04 26 15     3.504    2.644   26.7    9.9   229   21.9 
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   00 48 40.4   -04 17 59     3.497    2.643   27.3   10.0   229   21.9 
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   00 50 17.4   -04 09 45     3.491    2.642   27.8   10.2   230   21.9 
2026-04-28 00:00 UT   00 51 54.4   -04 01 33     3.484    2.642   28.3   10.4   230   21.9 
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   00 53 31.4   -03 53 24     3.478    2.641   28.8   10.6   230   21.9 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   00 55 08.2   -03 45 18     3.471    2.640   29.4   10.8   231   21.9 




    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.

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