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C/2019 G4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion15 Sep 201821.35.846 AU6.591 AU 11h44m-36°02'39.2°6.2°175°
Nearest approach15 Mar 201920.85.986 AU5.180 AU 10h41m-34°12'141.1°6.0°24°
Today29 Dec 202527.917.184 AU16.287 AU 07h04m+47°18'155.1°1.4°197°
C/2019 G4 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-12-29
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. (9.5 + 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 G4 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0014040
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.8459890
    i (Inclination)                 : 138.33930
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 130.44350
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 287.72700
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 197.27882
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -39.28335
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458376.97140

    Epoch                           : 2023 Sep 24
    Reference                       : MPEC 2022-P82

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-12-28 00:00 UT   07 05 05.5   +47 17 08    16.282   17.178  154.8    1.4   201   27.9 
2025-12-29 00:00 UT   07 04 40.9   +47 18 12    16.286   17.182  155.0    1.4   198   27.9 
2025-12-29 09:34 UT   07 04 31.1   +47 18 36    16.287   17.184  155.1    1.4   197   27.9 
2025-12-30 00:00 UT   07 04 16.3   +47 19 13    16.289   17.187  155.2    1.4   196   27.9 
2025-12-31 00:00 UT   07 03 51.6   +47 20 13    16.293   17.192  155.3    1.4   193   27.9 
2026-01-01 00:00 UT   07 03 26.8   +47 21 10    16.297   17.197  155.4    1.4   191   27.9 
2026-01-02 00:00 UT   07 03 02.1   +47 22 06    16.302   17.202  155.4    1.4   188   27.9 
2026-01-03 00:00 UT   07 02 37.3   +47 22 60    16.307   17.206  155.4    1.4   185   27.9 
2026-01-04 00:00 UT   07 02 12.5   +47 23 51    16.312   17.211  155.4    1.4   183   27.9 
2026-01-05 00:00 UT   07 01 47.7   +47 24 41    16.317   17.216  155.3    1.4   180   27.9 
2026-01-06 00:00 UT   07 01 22.9   +47 25 29    16.323   17.221  155.1    1.4   177   27.9 
2026-01-07 00:00 UT   07 00 58.1   +47 26 15    16.329   17.225  154.9    1.4   175   27.9 
2026-01-08 00:00 UT   07 00 33.3   +47 26 59    16.336   17.230  154.7    1.4   172   27.9 




    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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