|
C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
| Nearest approach | 28 Dec 2021 | 17.1 | 3.907 AU | 3.394 AU | 11h02m | +86°11' | 114.6° | 13.2° | 250° |
| Perihelion | 28 Apr 2022 | 17.3 | 3.755 AU | 4.082 AU | 00h21m | +76°28' | 64.2° | 14.0° | 327° |
| Today | 26 Sep 2026 | 24.9 | 12.444 AU | 12.260 AU | 18h53m | -31°46' | 98.3° | 4.6° | 83° |
C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-09-26
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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 8.5 + 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 U5 (PANSTARRS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0002120
q (Perihelion distance) : 3.7552830
i (Inclination) : 97.30980
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 107.31240
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 75.46990
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 81.16532
B (Latitude of perihelion) : 73.77023
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2459698.48430
Epoch : 2026 Sep 25
Reference : MPEC 2026-L50
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
Ephemerides
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-09-25 00:00 UT 18 53 56.5 -31 46 00 12.223 12.435 99.9 4.6 83 24.9
2026-09-26 00:00 UT 18 53 53.2 -31 46 23 12.246 12.441 98.9 4.6 83 24.9
2026-09-26 14:50 UT 18 53 51.4 -31 46 37 12.260 12.444 98.3 4.6 83 24.9
2026-09-27 00:00 UT 18 53 50.3 -31 46 46 12.268 12.446 97.9 4.6 83 24.9
2026-09-28 00:00 UT 18 53 47.8 -31 47 07 12.291 12.452 96.9 4.6 84 24.9
2026-09-29 00:00 UT 18 53 45.6 -31 47 29 12.313 12.458 96.0 4.6 84 24.9
2026-09-30 00:00 UT 18 53 43.8 -31 47 49 12.336 12.464 95.0 4.6 84 24.9
2026-10-01 00:00 UT 18 53 42.5 -31 48 09 12.359 12.469 94.0 4.6 84 24.9
2026-10-02 00:00 UT 18 53 41.5 -31 48 28 12.382 12.475 93.0 4.6 84 24.9
2026-10-03 00:00 UT 18 53 40.9 -31 48 47 12.404 12.481 92.1 4.6 84 25.0
2026-10-04 00:00 UT 18 53 40.7 -31 49 05 12.427 12.487 91.1 4.6 84 25.0
2026-10-05 00:00 UT 18 53 40.8 -31 49 23 12.450 12.492 90.1 4.6 85 25.0
2026-10-06 00:00 UT 18 53 41.4 -31 49 40 12.473 12.498 89.1 4.6 85 25.0
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.
