C/2021 A6 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	3 Mar 2021	20.2	7.935 AU	6.968 AU	10h28m	-04°48'	166.4°	1.7°	34°
Perihelion	3 May 2021	20.4	7.927 AU	7.495 AU	10h15m	+01°40'	111.9°	6.8°	108°
Today	19 Feb 2026	23.6	12.883 AU	12.614 AU	15h40m	+51°09'	103.6°	4.3°	271°

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)                : 0.9995920
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 7.9267060
    i (Inclination)                 : 75.55480
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 164.00530
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 351.65450
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 161.90957
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -8.07988
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459337.92270

    Epoch                           : 2026 Feb 19
    Reference                       : MPEC 2024-P23

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-02-18 00:00 UT   15 39 57.6   +51 00 25    12.616   12.875  103.0    4.3   273   23.6 
2026-02-19 00:00 UT   15 40 05.3   +51 05 13    12.615   12.879  103.3    4.3   272   23.6 
2026-02-19 23:54 UT   15 40 12.4   +51 09 60    12.614   12.883  103.6    4.3   271   23.6 
2026-02-20 00:00 UT   15 40 12.5   +51 10 01    12.614   12.883  103.6    4.3   271   23.6 
2026-02-21 00:00 UT   15 40 19.2   +51 14 49    12.613   12.887  103.9    4.3   270   23.6 
2026-02-22 00:00 UT   15 40 25.4   +51 19 37    12.612   12.891  104.2    4.3   269   23.6 
2026-02-23 00:00 UT   15 40 31.1   +51 24 25    12.611   12.896  104.5    4.3   268   23.6 
2026-02-24 00:00 UT   15 40 36.3   +51 29 13    12.611   12.900  104.8    4.3   267   23.6 
2026-02-25 00:00 UT   15 40 41.0   +51 34 00    12.610   12.904  105.1    4.2   266   23.6 
2026-02-26 00:00 UT   15 40 45.2   +51 38 48    12.610   12.908  105.4    4.2   265   23.6 
2026-02-27 00:00 UT   15 40 49.0   +51 43 34    12.610   12.912  105.7    4.2   264   23.6 
2026-02-28 00:00 UT   15 40 52.2   +51 48 21    12.609   12.917  105.9    4.2   263   23.6 
2026-03-01 00:00 UT   15 40 55.0   +51 53 06    12.609   12.921  106.2    4.2   262   23.6 

    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.