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C/2019 B3 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach3 May 202018.17.042 AU6.529 AU 10h53m-67°18'116.9°7.3°65°
Perihelion19 Jan 202118.16.831 AU7.174 AU 16h31m-83°25'65.9°7.6°236°
Today20 Jan 202622.313.046 AU13.627 AU 23h40m-10°20'52.1°3.4°72°
C/2019 B3 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-01-20
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. (5.5 + 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 B3 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9978400
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 6.8306010
    i (Inclination)                 : 66.62570
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 358.39750
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 263.99880
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 73.55658
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -65.90954
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459233.81430
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 177831.11

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jan 19
    Reference                       : MPEC 2024-JU4

    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
2026-01-19 00:00 UT   23 40 46.4   -10 23 26    13.604   13.040   53.3    3.5    72   22.3 
2026-01-20 00:00 UT   23 40 55.9   -10 20 41    13.622   13.045   52.3    3.4    72   22.3 
2026-01-20 05:27 UT   23 40 58.1   -10 20 03    13.627   13.046   52.1    3.4    72   22.3 
2026-01-21 00:00 UT   23 41 05.7   -10 17 55    13.641   13.049   51.4    3.4    73   22.3 
2026-01-22 00:00 UT   23 41 15.6   -10 15 09    13.659   13.054   50.4    3.3    73   22.3 
2026-01-23 00:00 UT   23 41 25.8   -10 12 22    13.676   13.059   49.5    3.3    73   22.3 
2026-01-24 00:00 UT   23 41 36.1   -10 09 34    13.694   13.063   48.5    3.2    73   22.3 
2026-01-25 00:00 UT   23 41 46.7   -10 06 46    13.711   13.068   47.6    3.2    73   22.3 
2026-01-26 00:00 UT   23 41 57.4   -10 03 58    13.729   13.073   46.6    3.1    74   22.4 
2026-01-27 00:00 UT   23 42 08.3   -10 01 08    13.746   13.077   45.7    3.1    74   22.4 
2026-01-28 00:00 UT   23 42 19.4   -09 58 19    13.762   13.082   44.8    3.0    74   22.4 
2026-01-29 00:00 UT   23 42 30.7   -09 55 29    13.779   13.086   43.8    3.0    74   22.4 
2026-01-30 00:00 UT   23 42 42.1   -09 52 38    13.795   13.091   42.9    2.9    74   22.4 




    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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