P/2020 R5 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	4 Feb 2026	25.6	6.555 AU	5.884 AU	11h55m	-13°20'	129.4°	6.7°	305°
Perihelion	25 Jul 2031	19.9	3.432 AU	2.966 AU	00h23m	+16°50'	108.9°	16.3°	241°
Nearest approach	28 Sep 2031	19.5	3.449 AU	2.476 AU	00h04m	+17°58'	163.7°	4.7°	167°

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. (9.5 + 5 log[∆] + 15.0 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 R5 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.3128100
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.4321320
    i (Inclination)                 : 11.43940
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 272.93780
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 82.72520
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 355.51718
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 11.34609
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2463072.51650
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 11.16

    Epoch                           : 2026 Feb 03
    Reference                       : MPEC 2023-C45

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.866

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-02-03 00:00 UT   11 55 19.5   -13 19 58     5.898    6.555  128.3    6.8   304   25.6 
2026-02-04 00:00 UT   11 55 04.5   -13 20 12     5.885    6.555  129.4    6.7   305   25.6 
2026-02-04 01:54 UT   11 55 03.3   -13 20 13     5.884    6.555  129.4    6.7   305   25.6 
2026-02-05 00:00 UT   11 54 49.0   -13 20 22     5.873    6.555  130.4    6.6   305   25.6 
2026-02-06 00:00 UT   11 54 32.9   -13 20 26     5.861    6.555  131.4    6.5   306   25.6 
2026-02-07 00:00 UT   11 54 16.3   -13 20 26     5.849    6.555  132.4    6.4   306   25.6 
2026-02-08 00:00 UT   11 53 59.2   -13 20 22     5.837    6.555  133.4    6.3   307   25.6 
2026-02-09 00:00 UT   11 53 41.7   -13 20 12     5.826    6.554  134.5    6.2   307   25.6 
2026-02-10 00:00 UT   11 53 23.6   -13 19 58     5.814    6.554  135.5    6.1   307   25.6 
2026-02-11 00:00 UT   11 53 05.0   -13 19 39     5.803    6.554  136.5    5.9   308   25.6 
2026-02-12 00:00 UT   11 52 46.0   -13 19 16     5.792    6.554  137.5    5.8   309   25.6 
2026-02-13 00:00 UT   11 52 26.5   -13 18 47     5.781    6.554  138.5    5.7   309   25.6 
2026-02-14 00:00 UT   11 52 06.5   -13 18 14     5.771    6.554  139.6    5.6   310   25.6 

    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.