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C/2021 G3 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion18 Oct 202121.45.186 AU5.747 AU 10h36m+18°51'51.5°8.7°300°
Nearest approach5 Feb 202220.95.253 AU4.367 AU 10h28m+39°48'151.3°5.2°219°
Today30 Apr 202626.912.289 AU12.629 AU 21h40m+56°57'68.1°4.4°277°
C/2021 G3 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-04-30
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. 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. (10.5 + 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/2021 G3 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9996720
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.1864470
    i (Inclination)                 : 102.87960
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 147.32120
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 10.63970
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 144.92334
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 10.36901
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459505.53160

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 29
    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
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   21 39 48.9   +56 52 60    12.627   12.281   67.7    4.4   278   26.9 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   21 39 57.2   +56 56 10    12.628   12.287   68.0    4.4   277   26.9 
2026-04-30 09:18 UT   21 40 00.3   +56 57 24    12.629   12.289   68.1    4.4   277   26.9 
2026-05-01 00:00 UT   21 40 05.1   +56 59 21    12.630   12.292   68.2    4.4   276   26.9 
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   21 40 12.4   +57 02 32    12.631   12.297   68.5    4.4   275   26.9 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   21 40 19.2   +57 05 43    12.632   12.302   68.7    4.4   274   26.9 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   21 40 25.4   +57 08 54    12.632   12.308   69.0    4.4   273   26.9 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   21 40 31.2   +57 12 06    12.633   12.313   69.3    4.4   272   26.9 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   21 40 36.4   +57 15 18    12.634   12.318   69.6    4.4   271   26.9 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   21 40 41.1   +57 18 30    12.634   12.324   69.8    4.4   270   26.9 
2026-05-08 00:00 UT   21 40 45.2   +57 21 42    12.635   12.329   70.1    4.4   269   26.9 
2026-05-09 00:00 UT   21 40 48.8   +57 24 55    12.635   12.334   70.4    4.4   269   26.9 
2026-05-10 00:00 UT   21 40 51.9   +57 28 06    12.636   12.339   70.7    4.4   268   26.9 




    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.

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