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C/2021 K3 (Catalina)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion3 Feb 202221.15.225 AU6.155 AU 19h55m-22°01'17.7°3.3°255°
Nearest approach28 Jun 202220.55.337 AU4.358 AU 19h01m-38°56'162.8°3.2°333°
Today3 Feb 202625.711.278 AU10.983 AU 11h43m-50°22'104.9°4.8°321°
C/2021 K3 (Catalina)- 2026-02-03
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. (10.0 + 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 K3 (Catalina) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0038140
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.2245460
    i (Inclination)                 : 134.78030
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 114.61580
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 181.97460
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 113.22463
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -1.40146
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459613.84740

    Epoch                           : 2026 Feb 03
    Reference                       : MPEC 2022-L66

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-02-02 00:00 UT   11 44 37.5   -50 21 09    10.994   11.268  103.7    4.9   320   25.7 
2026-02-03 00:00 UT   11 44 06.2   -50 22 05    10.988   11.274  104.4    4.9   321   25.7 
2026-02-03 18:16 UT   11 43 42.0   -50 22 45    10.983   11.278  104.9    4.8   321   25.7 
2026-02-04 00:00 UT   11 43 34.4   -50 22 57    10.981   11.279  105.1    4.8   322   25.7 
2026-02-05 00:00 UT   11 43 02.2   -50 23 43    10.975   11.284  105.8    4.8   323   25.7 
2026-02-06 00:00 UT   11 42 29.7   -50 24 25    10.969   11.290  106.5    4.8   324   25.7 
2026-02-07 00:00 UT   11 41 56.7   -50 25 02    10.963   11.295  107.2    4.8   324   25.7 
2026-02-08 00:00 UT   11 41 23.4   -50 25 34    10.957   11.300  107.9    4.8   325   25.7 
2026-02-09 00:00 UT   11 40 49.7   -50 26 00    10.952   11.306  108.6    4.7   326   25.7 
2026-02-10 00:00 UT   11 40 15.6   -50 26 22    10.946   11.311  109.3    4.7   327   25.7 
2026-02-11 00:00 UT   11 39 41.2   -50 26 39    10.940   11.316  110.0    4.7   328   25.7 
2026-02-12 00:00 UT   11 39 06.4   -50 26 50    10.935   11.321  110.7    4.7   329   25.7 
2026-02-13 00:00 UT   11 38 31.3   -50 26 56    10.930   11.327  111.3    4.7   330   25.7 




    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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