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C/2020 K5 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach19 May 202113.91.557 AU1.573 AU 01h44m-45°12'70.3°37.7°210°
Perihelion3 Jun 202113.91.542 AU1.612 AU 03h10m-41°13'67.5°37.4°204°
Today16 Nov 202528.013.851 AU13.259 AU 07h12m+51°59'125.0°3.4°255°
C/2020 K5 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-11-16
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. (11.0 + 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 K5 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0007080
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.5415280
    i (Inclination)                 : 67.07020
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 86.14280
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 249.64460
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 132.54304
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -59.70849
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459369.41790

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 12
    Reference                       : MPEC 2021-R75

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-11-15 00:00 UT   07 12 21.4   +51 56 04    13.266   13.843  124.0    3.4   256   28.0 
2025-11-16 00:00 UT   07 12 05.4   +51 58 34    13.260   13.849  124.8    3.4   255   28.0 
2025-11-16 06:29 UT   07 12 01.1   +51 59 14    13.259   13.851  125.0    3.4   255   28.0 
2025-11-17 00:00 UT   07 11 49.1   +52 01 03    13.255   13.855  125.6    3.3   254   28.0 
2025-11-18 00:00 UT   07 11 32.2   +52 03 31    13.251   13.862  126.5    3.3   253   28.0 
2025-11-19 00:00 UT   07 11 14.9   +52 05 57    13.246   13.868  127.3    3.3   253   28.0 
2025-11-20 00:00 UT   07 10 57.2   +52 08 23    13.242   13.874  128.1    3.2   252   28.0 
2025-11-21 00:00 UT   07 10 39.1   +52 10 47    13.237   13.880  128.9    3.2   251   28.0 
2025-11-22 00:00 UT   07 10 20.5   +52 13 10    13.233   13.886  129.7    3.1   250   28.0 
2025-11-23 00:00 UT   07 10 01.5   +52 15 32    13.230   13.892  130.5    3.1   249   28.0 
2025-11-24 00:00 UT   07 09 42.1   +52 17 52    13.226   13.899  131.3    3.1   248   28.0 
2025-11-25 00:00 UT   07 09 22.4   +52 20 11    13.223   13.905  132.1    3.0   247   28.0 
2025-11-26 00:00 UT   07 09 02.2   +52 22 28    13.220   13.911  132.9    3.0   246   28.0 




    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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