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C/2019 L1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach24 Jul 201919.52.908 AU1.904 AU20h00m-09°13'168.9°3.9°165°
Perihelion6 Aug 201919.62.906 AU1.926 AU19h54m-09°03'161.6°6.3°117°
Today15 Oct 202529.712.214 AU11.910 AU06h26m+20°12'105.5°4.5°274°
C/2019 L1 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-10-15
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. (13.5 + 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 L1 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.7039260
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.9057370
    i (Inclination)                 : 9.97400
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 254.42750
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 49.99470
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 303.99199
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 7.62388
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458701.89670
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 30.75

    Epoch                           : 2025 Oct 14
    Reference                       : MPEC 2023-A50

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); Halley type (P < 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-10-15 00:00 UT   06 26 58.9   +20 12 28    11.914   12.213  105.2    4.5   274   29.7 
2025-10-15 07:12 UT   06 26 58.1   +20 12 22    11.910   12.214  105.5    4.5   274   29.7 
2025-10-16 00:00 UT   06 26 56.3   +20 12 06    11.901   12.216  106.2    4.5   274   29.7 
2025-10-17 00:00 UT   06 26 53.3   +20 11 44    11.888   12.219  107.2    4.5   274   29.7 
2025-10-18 00:00 UT   06 26 49.9   +20 11 22    11.874   12.222  108.2    4.4   274   29.7 
2025-10-19 00:00 UT   06 26 46.2   +20 11 00    11.861   12.225  109.2    4.4   274   29.7 
2025-10-20 00:00 UT   06 26 42.1   +20 10 39    11.848   12.228  110.2    4.4   274   29.7 
2025-10-21 00:00 UT   06 26 37.7   +20 10 18    11.835   12.231  111.2    4.4   274   29.7 
2025-10-22 00:00 UT   06 26 32.9   +20 09 57    11.823   12.234  112.2    4.3   274   29.7 
2025-10-23 00:00 UT   06 26 27.8   +20 09 37    11.810   12.237  113.2    4.3   274   29.7 
2025-10-24 00:00 UT   06 26 22.3   +20 09 16    11.797   12.240  114.2    4.3   274   29.7 
2025-10-25 00:00 UT   06 26 16.5   +20 08 56    11.785   12.243  115.3    4.2   274   29.7 




    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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