C/2020 K4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	7 Mar 2020	21.0	1.760 AU	2.429 AU	22h07m	-40°05'	38.2°	20.4°	207°
Nearest approach	7 Jun 2020	20.0	2.098 AU	1.106 AU	18h15m	-26°20'	163.0°	8.1°	278°
Today	3 Apr 2026	34.7	16.316 AU	15.815 AU	13h13m	+56°09'	118.5°	3.1°	187°

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. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 16.6 + 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 K4 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9613540
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.7595050
    i (Inclination)                 : 125.93690
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 264.27110
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 310.23480
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 299.01783
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -38.17755
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458916.41290
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 307.21

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-02 00:00 UT   13 13 45.0   +56 08 16    15.804   16.310  118.8    3.1   189   34.7 
2026-04-03 00:00 UT   13 13 17.8   +56 09 33    15.814   16.316  118.5    3.1   187   34.7 
2026-04-03 01:53 UT   13 13 15.6   +56 09 39    15.815   16.316  118.5    3.1   187   34.7 
2026-04-04 00:00 UT   13 12 50.5   +56 10 46    15.824   16.321  118.2    3.1   186   34.7 
2026-04-05 00:00 UT   13 12 23.2   +56 11 55    15.834   16.326  117.8    3.1   185   34.7 
2026-04-06 00:00 UT   13 11 55.9   +56 13 01    15.844   16.331  117.5    3.1   184   34.7 
2026-04-07 00:00 UT   13 11 28.5   +56 14 02    15.855   16.336  117.1    3.1   183   34.7 
2026-04-08 00:00 UT   13 11 01.1   +56 15 00    15.865   16.341  116.8    3.1   181   34.7 
2026-04-09 00:00 UT   13 10 33.8   +56 15 54    15.876   16.346  116.4    3.1   180   34.7 
2026-04-10 00:00 UT   13 10 06.4   +56 16 44    15.887   16.351  116.0    3.2   179   34.7 
2026-04-11 00:00 UT   13 09 39.1   +56 17 30    15.898   16.356  115.6    3.2   178   34.7 
2026-04-12 00:00 UT   13 09 11.8   +56 18 12    15.909   16.361  115.2    3.2   177   34.7 
2026-04-13 00:00 UT   13 08 44.5   +56 18 51    15.921   16.366  114.8    3.2   176   34.7 

    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.