P/2020 O3 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	6 Feb 2026	22.3	5.122 AU	4.324 AU	11h28m	-07°22'	140.3°	7.1°	306°
Nearest approach	21 Aug 2030	20.7	4.192 AU	3.192 AU	21h47m	-02°55'	170.2°	2.3°	159°
Perihelion	28 Jan 2031	21.7	4.170 AU	4.963 AU	22h37m	-01°09'	32.9°	7.4°	57°

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. (12.0 + 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 P/2020 O3 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.1024220
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.1700880
    i (Inclination)                 : 8.44430
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 266.81530
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 81.04350
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 347.76226
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 8.34060
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2462895.34080
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 10.01

    Epoch                           : 2026 Feb 05
    Reference                       : MPEC 2023-C45

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.979

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-02-05 00:00 UT   11 28 38.0   -07 22 54     4.336    5.122  139.1    7.2   305   22.3 
2026-02-06 00:00 UT   11 28 17.3   -07 22 19     4.326    5.122  140.1    7.1   306   22.3 
2026-02-06 04:19 UT   11 28 13.5   -07 22 12     4.324    5.122  140.3    7.1   306   22.3 
2026-02-07 00:00 UT   11 27 55.9   -07 21 39     4.316    5.122  141.2    6.9   306   22.3 
2026-02-08 00:00 UT   11 27 34.0   -07 20 53     4.306    5.122  142.2    6.8   307   22.3 
2026-02-09 00:00 UT   11 27 11.5   -07 20 01     4.297    5.122  143.3    6.6   307   22.3 
2026-02-10 00:00 UT   11 26 48.4   -07 19 04     4.288    5.122  144.3    6.5   308   22.3 
2026-02-11 00:00 UT   11 26 24.8   -07 18 02     4.279    5.122  145.4    6.3   308   22.3 
2026-02-12 00:00 UT   11 26 00.7   -07 16 53     4.270    5.122  146.4    6.1   309   22.2 
2026-02-13 00:00 UT   11 25 36.0   -07 15 40     4.261    5.122  147.5    5.9   310   22.2 
2026-02-14 00:00 UT   11 25 10.8   -07 14 21     4.253    5.122  148.5    5.8   310   22.2 
2026-02-15 00:00 UT   11 24 45.1   -07 12 57     4.245    5.122  149.6    5.6   311   22.2 
2026-02-16 00:00 UT   11 24 19.0   -07 11 27     4.238    5.122  150.6    5.4   312   22.2 

    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.