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P/2019 S2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Today1 May 202624.05.225 AU4.512 AU 11h51m+14°07'130.7°8.4°125°
Perihelion20 Jun 202921.73.777 AU3.087 AU 21h48m-21°22'126.2°12.5°256°
Nearest approach8 Aug 202921.53.782 AU2.779 AU 21h32m-25°04'169.9°2.7°331°
P/2019 S2 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-05-01
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 P/2019 S2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.2046290
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.7765440
    i (Inclination)                 : 10.46190
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 93.12370
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 216.93210
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 129.59556
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -6.26382
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2462307.63910
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 10.35

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 30
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.935

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   11 52 15.2   +14 07 11     4.498    5.226  132.0    8.2   125   23.9 
2026-05-01 00:00 UT   11 51 57.9   +14 07 08     4.508    5.225  131.0    8.4   125   24.0 
2026-05-01 09:05 UT   11 51 51.5   +14 07 05     4.512    5.225  130.7    8.4   125   24.0 
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   11 51 41.2   +14 06 59     4.518    5.224  130.0    8.5   124   24.0 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   11 51 25.1   +14 06 44     4.528    5.223  129.1    8.6   124   24.0 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   11 51 09.7   +14 06 23     4.539    5.221  128.1    8.7   124   24.0 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   11 50 55.0   +14 05 57     4.549    5.220  127.1    8.9   123   24.0 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   11 50 40.9   +14 05 26     4.560    5.219  126.1    9.0   123   24.0 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   11 50 27.5   +14 04 48     4.571    5.217  125.1    9.1   123   24.0 
2026-05-08 00:00 UT   11 50 14.8   +14 04 06     4.582    5.216  124.2    9.2   122   24.0 
2026-05-09 00:00 UT   11 50 02.8   +14 03 17     4.593    5.215  123.2    9.3   122   24.0 
2026-05-10 00:00 UT   11 49 51.4   +14 02 23     4.605    5.214  122.2    9.4   122   24.0 
2026-05-11 00:00 UT   11 49 40.8   +14 01 24     4.616    5.212  121.3    9.5   121   24.0 




    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.

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