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C/2020 K2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach13 Jul 201920.89.156 AU8.501 AU 18h46m+29°33'127.6°5.0°168°
Perihelion3 Aug 202020.78.880 AU8.580 AU 18h11m+49°18'104.0°6.4°139°
Today26 Oct 202523.613.767 AU13.623 AU 08h39m+60°09'96.2°4.1°284°
C/2020 K2 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-10-26
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. (6.5 + 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/2020 K2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0004840
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 8.8802360
    i (Inclination)                 : 90.98590
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 288.43630
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 67.29960
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 286.08092
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 67.27933
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459065.42730

    Epoch                           : 2025 Oct 25
    Reference                       : MPEC 2021-N06

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-10-25 00:00 UT   08 39 05.7   +60 07 41    13.635   13.762   95.3    4.1   285   23.6 
2025-10-26 00:00 UT   08 39 03.4   +60 09 19    13.625   13.766   96.0    4.1   284   23.6 
2025-10-26 06:33 UT   08 39 02.7   +60 09 46    13.623   13.767   96.2    4.1   284   23.6 
2025-10-27 00:00 UT   08 39 00.5   +60 10 59    13.616   13.770   96.8    4.1   284   23.6 
2025-10-28 00:00 UT   08 38 57.1   +60 12 39    13.607   13.774   97.6    4.1   283   23.6 
2025-10-29 00:00 UT   08 38 53.0   +60 14 21    13.598   13.777   98.4    4.1   282   23.6 
2025-10-30 00:00 UT   08 38 48.4   +60 16 04    13.589   13.781   99.1    4.1   282   23.6 
2025-10-31 00:00 UT   08 38 43.1   +60 17 47    13.580   13.785   99.9    4.1   281   23.6 
2025-11-01 00:00 UT   08 38 37.2   +60 19 32    13.571   13.789  100.7    4.1   280   23.6 
2025-11-02 00:00 UT   08 38 30.8   +60 21 18    13.562   13.793  101.4    4.0   280   23.6 
2025-11-03 00:00 UT   08 38 23.7   +60 23 04    13.553   13.797  102.2    4.0   279   23.6 
2025-11-04 00:00 UT   08 38 15.9   +60 24 51    13.544   13.801  103.0    4.0   278   23.6 
2025-11-05 00:00 UT   08 38 07.6   +60 26 39    13.535   13.805  103.7    4.0   277   23.6 




    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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