C/2021 A6 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	3 Mar 2021	20.2	7.937 AU	6.970 AU	10h28m	-04°48'	166.4°	1.7°	34°
Perihelion	3 May 2021	20.4	7.929 AU	7.502 AU	10h15m	+01°42'	111.6°	6.8°	108°
Today	26 Jun 2026	23.9	13.416 AU	13.343 AU	15h11m	+55°08'	92.0°	4.3°	138°

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. (7.0 + 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 C/2021 A6 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9997730
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 7.9286630
    i (Inclination)                 : 75.55130
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 163.99560
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 351.67850
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 161.90548
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -8.05653
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459338.20260

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jun 25
    Reference                       : MPC194172

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-06-25 00:00 UT   15 12 06.6   +55 11 38    13.330   13.411   92.4    4.3   139   23.9 
2026-06-26 00:00 UT   15 11 54.2   +55 09 23    13.340   13.416   92.0    4.3   138   23.9 
2026-06-26 05:14 UT   15 11 51.5   +55 08 53    13.343   13.416   92.0    4.3   138   23.9 
2026-06-27 00:00 UT   15 11 42.2   +55 07 05    13.351   13.420   91.7    4.3   137   23.9 
2026-06-28 00:00 UT   15 11 30.6   +55 04 43    13.362   13.424   91.3    4.3   136   23.9 
2026-06-29 00:00 UT   15 11 19.4   +55 02 19    13.372   13.428   91.0    4.3   135   23.9 
2026-06-30 00:00 UT   15 11 08.5   +54 59 51    13.383   13.433   90.6    4.3   135   23.9 
2026-07-01 00:00 UT   15 10 58.1   +54 57 21    13.394   13.437   90.2    4.3   134   23.9 
2026-07-02 00:00 UT   15 10 48.1   +54 54 48    13.404   13.441   89.9    4.3   133   23.9 
2026-07-03 00:00 UT   15 10 38.5   +54 52 12    13.415   13.445   89.5    4.3   132   23.9 
2026-07-04 00:00 UT   15 10 29.3   +54 49 34    13.426   13.450   89.2    4.3   131   23.9 
2026-07-05 00:00 UT   15 10 20.6   +54 46 52    13.436   13.454   88.8    4.3   130   23.9 
2026-07-06 00:00 UT   15 10 12.2   +54 44 08    13.447   13.458   88.4    4.3   129   23.9 

    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.