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C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach6 Feb 202315.13.372 AU2.396 AU 09h29m+25°12'170.1°2.9°198°
Perihelion9 Feb 202315.13.372 AU2.398 AU 09h28m+25°41'169.0°3.2°176°
Today12 Mar 202625.19.670 AU9.504 AU 16h59m-06°22'96.7°5.9°274°
C/2020 S4 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-03-12
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 5.1 + 5 log[∆] + 15.3 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 S4 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0031510
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.3717050
    i (Inclination)                 : 20.57190
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 117.67490
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 21.09840
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 137.53623
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 7.26666
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459985.30420

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 11
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-11 00:00 UT   16 58 57.1   -06 24 09     9.514    9.663   95.6    5.9   275   25.1 
2026-03-12 00:00 UT   16 59 00.8   -06 22 56     9.505    9.669   96.6    5.9   274   25.1 
2026-03-12 02:38 UT   16 59 01.2   -06 22 48     9.504    9.670   96.7    5.9   274   25.1 
2026-03-13 00:00 UT   16 59 04.1   -06 21 43     9.495    9.676   97.5    5.8   274   25.1 
2026-03-14 00:00 UT   16 59 06.9   -06 20 29     9.485    9.682   98.5    5.8   274   25.1 
2026-03-15 00:00 UT   16 59 09.3   -06 19 15     9.475    9.688   99.4    5.8   273   25.1 
2026-03-16 00:00 UT   16 59 11.3   -06 17 60     9.466    9.695  100.4    5.8   273   25.1 
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   16 59 12.8   -06 16 44     9.456    9.701  101.3    5.8   273   25.1 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   16 59 14.0   -06 15 28     9.447    9.707  102.3    5.7   273   25.1 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   16 59 14.7   -06 14 11     9.437    9.714  103.2    5.7   272   25.1 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   16 59 14.9   -06 12 55     9.428    9.720  104.2    5.7   272   25.1 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   16 59 14.8   -06 11 37     9.418    9.726  105.1    5.7   272   25.1 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   16 59 14.2   -06 10 20     9.409    9.732  106.1    5.6   271   25.1 




    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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