C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach4 Feb 202115.51.426 AU1.246 AU01h46m+25°53'78.5°42.6°66°
Perihelion13 Mar 202115.21.318 AU1.302 AU03h58m+17°01'68.6°44.6°80°
Today15 Oct 202530.914.351 AU14.967 AU16h31m-35°09'50.3°3.1°110°
C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-10-15
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. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 13.5 + 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 N1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0009220
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.3180380
    i (Inclination)                 : 29.76880
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 279.85370
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 186.84980
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 285.80655
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -3.39483
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459286.75710

    Epoch                           : 2025 Oct 15
    Reference                       : MPEC 2022-GA9

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-10-15 00:00 UT   16 30 57.7   -35 10 04    14.949   14.345   51.2    3.1   110   30.9 
2025-10-15 23:19 UT   16 31 12.9   -35 09 43    14.967   14.351   50.3    3.1   110   30.9 
2025-10-16 00:00 UT   16 31 13.3   -35 09 42    14.967   14.351   50.3    3.1   110   30.9 
2025-10-17 00:00 UT   16 31 29.2   -35 09 21    14.986   14.357   49.4    3.0   110   30.9 
2025-10-18 00:00 UT   16 31 45.2   -35 09 01    15.004   14.363   48.5    3.0   111   30.9 
2025-10-19 00:00 UT   16 32 01.5   -35 08 42    15.022   14.370   47.6    2.9   111   30.9 
2025-10-20 00:00 UT   16 32 17.9   -35 08 24    15.040   14.376   46.7    2.9   111   30.9 
2025-10-21 00:00 UT   16 32 34.5   -35 08 07    15.058   14.382   45.8    2.8   112   30.9 
2025-10-22 00:00 UT   16 32 51.3   -35 07 51    15.075   14.388   44.9    2.8   112   30.9 
2025-10-23 00:00 UT   16 33 08.3   -35 07 36    15.093   14.394   44.0    2.8   113   31.0 
2025-10-24 00:00 UT   16 33 25.4   -35 07 22    15.110   14.400   43.1    2.7   113   31.0 
2025-10-25 00:00 UT   16 33 42.7   -35 07 09    15.127   14.406   42.2    2.7   113   31.0 



    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.