C/2020 K4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	7 Mar 2020	20.9	1.758 AU	2.428 AU	22h07m	-40°05'	38.2°	20.4°	207°
Nearest approach	7 Jun 2020	20.0	2.097 AU	1.105 AU	18h15m	-26°20'	163.0°	8.1°	278°
Today	30 May 2026	34.9	16.609 AU	16.583 AU	12h50m	+55°40'	89.7°	3.5°	131°

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)                : 0.9613390
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.7583650
    i (Inclination)                 : 125.93780
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 264.25960
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 310.21240
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 299.02819
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -38.19194
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2458916.43080
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 306.73

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194167

    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
2026-05-29 00:00 UT   12 51 11.8   +55 43 60    16.553   16.599   90.8    3.5   132   34.9 
2026-05-30 00:00 UT   12 50 55.9   +55 42 04    16.569   16.604   90.2    3.5   131   34.9 
2026-05-30 22:31 UT   12 50 41.3   +55 40 13    16.583   16.609   89.7    3.5   131   34.9 
2026-05-31 00:00 UT   12 50 40.3   +55 40 05    16.584   16.609   89.7    3.5   131   34.9 
2026-06-01 00:00 UT   12 50 25.2   +55 38 05    16.599   16.614   89.1    3.5   130   34.9 
2026-06-02 00:00 UT   12 50 10.4   +55 36 02    16.614   16.620   88.5    3.5   129   34.9 
2026-06-03 00:00 UT   12 49 56.0   +55 33 57    16.629   16.625   88.0    3.5   128   34.9 
2026-06-04 00:00 UT   12 49 42.0   +55 31 50    16.644   16.630   87.4    3.5   127   34.9 
2026-06-05 00:00 UT   12 49 28.3   +55 29 41    16.660   16.635   86.8    3.5   127   34.9 
2026-06-06 00:00 UT   12 49 15.0   +55 27 30    16.675   16.640   86.2    3.5   126   34.9 
2026-06-07 00:00 UT   12 49 02.2   +55 25 17    16.690   16.645   85.7    3.5   125   34.9 
2026-06-08 00:00 UT   12 48 49.7   +55 23 03    16.705   16.650   85.1    3.5   124   34.9 
2026-06-09 00:00 UT   12 48 37.6   +55 20 46    16.720   16.655   84.5    3.5   123   34.9 

    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.