C/2021 A9 (PANSTARRS) |
ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
PA |
Perihelion | 4 Dec 2023 | 19.1 | 7.764 AU | 6.985 AU | 07h18m | +09°30' | 139.8° | 4.7° | 293° |
Nearest approach | 3 Jan 2024 | 19.1 | 7.766 AU | 6.807 AU | 06h52m | +09°09' | 166.3° | 1.7° | 2° |
Today | 13 Jul 2025 | 20.2 | 8.556 AU | 9.298 AU | 04h58m | +04°04' | 40.9° | 4.5° | 241° |
C/2021 A9 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-07-13
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.)
The orbital elements of C/2021 A9 (PANSTARRS) are:
e (Eccentricity) : 1.0000250
q (Perihelion distance) : 7.7639150
i (Inclination) : 158.01810
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 314.85370
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 211.63940
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 285.11180
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -11.32385
T (Time of perihelion passage) : 2460282.51340
Epoch : 2025 Jul 12
Reference : MPC182879
Classification(s): : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)
The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations respectively from COBS or the MPC.
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. (6.00 + 5 log[∆] + 10.00 log[r]).
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.
A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found further down this page as well.
The following chart shows the current location of the comet in a smaller, upside-down telescopic field of view.
A printable version of the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.
Ephemerides:
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2025-07-13 00:00 UT 04 58 16.6 +04 05 28 9.302 8.555 40.6 4.4 241 20.2
2025-07-13 09:38 UT 04 58 20.2 +04 04 51 9.298 8.556 40.9 4.5 241 20.2
2025-07-14 00:00 UT 04 58 25.5 +04 03 57 9.294 8.558 41.4 4.5 241 20.2
2025-07-15 00:00 UT 04 58 34.1 +04 02 23 9.286 8.560 42.2 4.6 242 20.2
2025-07-16 00:00 UT 04 58 42.5 +04 00 48 9.277 8.563 43.0 4.6 243 20.2
2025-07-17 00:00 UT 04 58 50.7 +03 59 10 9.269 8.565 43.8 4.7 243 20.2
2025-07-18 00:00 UT 04 58 58.6 +03 57 30 9.260 8.568 44.7 4.8 244 20.2
2025-07-19 00:00 UT 04 59 06.3 +03 55 48 9.252 8.570 45.5 4.9 244 20.2
2025-07-20 00:00 UT 04 59 13.7 +03 54 04 9.242 8.573 46.4 4.9 245 20.2
2025-07-21 00:00 UT 04 59 20.9 +03 52 18 9.233 8.575 47.2 5.0 245 20.2
2025-07-22 00:00 UT 04 59 27.8 +03 50 29 9.224 8.578 48.0 5.1 246 20.2
2025-07-23 00:00 UT 04 59 34.4 +03 48 38 9.214 8.580 48.9 5.1 246 20.2
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.