C/2019 A9 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	27 Jul 2019	12.5	1.425 AU	2.134 AU	07h30m	-12°53'	34.9°	24.1°	203°
Nearest approach	5 Sep 2019	12.6	1.529 AU	1.914 AU	09h23m	-41°20'	52.7°	31.6°	209°
Today	26 Feb 2026	28.0	17.404 AU	17.908 AU	18h51m	+04°36'	58.0°	2.8°	283°

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 9.3 + 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 C/2019 A9 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9637930
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.4252580
    i (Inclination)                 : 84.40570
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 278.47390
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 237.86970
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 287.29695
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -57.43777
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458692.20690
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 246.97

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 12
    Reference                       : MPC118842

    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
2026-02-25 00:00 UT   18 51 11.3   +04 33 04    17.921   17.396   56.5    2.7   284   28.0 
2026-02-26 00:00 UT   18 51 19.0   +04 34 47    17.914   17.401   57.4    2.7   284   28.0 
2026-02-26 18:40 UT   18 51 24.8   +04 36 08    17.908   17.404   58.0    2.8   283   28.0 
2026-02-27 00:00 UT   18 51 26.5   +04 36 32    17.907   17.406   58.2    2.8   283   28.0 
2026-02-28 00:00 UT   18 51 33.8   +04 38 17    17.899   17.410   59.0    2.8   282   28.0 
2026-03-01 00:00 UT   18 51 41.0   +04 40 03    17.892   17.415   59.8    2.8   282   28.0 
2026-03-02 00:00 UT   18 51 47.9   +04 41 49    17.884   17.420   60.7    2.8   281   28.0 
2026-03-03 00:00 UT   18 51 54.7   +04 43 36    17.876   17.425   61.5    2.9   281   28.0 
2026-03-04 00:00 UT   18 52 01.3   +04 45 24    17.868   17.430   62.3    2.9   280   28.0 
2026-03-05 00:00 UT   18 52 07.6   +04 47 12    17.860   17.435   63.1    2.9   280   28.0 
2026-03-06 00:00 UT   18 52 13.8   +04 49 01    17.851   17.440   64.0    2.9   279   28.0 
2026-03-07 00:00 UT   18 52 19.8   +04 50 51    17.843   17.444   64.8    3.0   278   28.0 
2026-03-08 00:00 UT   18 52 25.6   +04 52 41    17.834   17.449   65.7    3.0   278   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.