C/2020 K2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	13 Jul 2019	20.8	9.156 AU	8.500 AU	18h46m	+29°34'	127.6°	5.0°	168°
Perihelion	3 Aug 2020	20.7	8.880 AU	8.578 AU	18h11m	+49°19'	104.1°	6.4°	140°
Today	8 Feb 2026	23.7	14.182 AU	13.526 AU	07h48m	+61°22'	130.1°	3.0°	148°

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)                : 1.0000430
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 8.8802280
    i (Inclination)                 : 90.98520
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 288.43680
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 67.29000
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 286.08420
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 67.26977
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459064.94890

    Epoch                           : 2026 Feb 07
    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
2026-02-07 00:00 UT   07 49 36.0   +61 25 60    13.505   14.174  131.2    3.0   150   23.7 
2026-02-08 00:00 UT   07 48 60.0   +61 24 10    13.515   14.178  130.7    3.0   149   23.7 
2026-02-08 22:26 UT   07 48 26.7   +61 22 24    13.526   14.182  130.1    3.0   148   23.7 
2026-02-09 00:00 UT   07 48 24.3   +61 22 16    13.526   14.182  130.1    3.1   147   23.7 
2026-02-10 00:00 UT   07 47 49.1   +61 20 19    13.538   14.186  129.5    3.1   146   23.7 
2026-02-11 00:00 UT   07 47 14.3   +61 18 19    13.549   14.190  128.9    3.1   145   23.7 
2026-02-12 00:00 UT   07 46 39.9   +61 16 15    13.561   14.194  128.3    3.1   144   23.7 
2026-02-13 00:00 UT   07 46 05.9   +61 14 08    13.572   14.198  127.7    3.2   142   23.7 
2026-02-14 00:00 UT   07 45 32.4   +61 11 58    13.584   14.202  127.1    3.2   141   23.7 
2026-02-15 00:00 UT   07 44 59.3   +61 09 45    13.597   14.206  126.5    3.2   140   23.7 
2026-02-16 00:00 UT   07 44 26.7   +61 07 29    13.609   14.210  125.8    3.2   139   23.7 
2026-02-17 00:00 UT   07 43 54.6   +61 05 09    13.622   14.214  125.2    3.3   138   23.7 
2026-02-18 00:00 UT   07 43 23.0   +61 02 47    13.634   14.218  124.5    3.3   137   23.7 

    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.