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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°
Today20 Jan 202625.711.202 AU11.080 AU 11h50m-50°03'94.6°5.0°309°
C/2021 K3 (Catalina)- 2026-01-20
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)                : 1.0038410
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.2247490
    i (Inclination)                 : 134.78030
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 114.61550
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 181.97720
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 113.22250
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -1.40330
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459613.86910

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jan 19
    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
2026-01-19 00:00 UT   11 51 07.4   -50 00 24    11.092   11.194   93.4    5.0   308   25.7 
2026-01-20 00:00 UT   11 50 42.8   -50 02 19    11.084   11.199   94.1    5.0   309   25.7 
2026-01-20 14:43 UT   11 50 27.4   -50 03 28    11.080   11.202   94.6    5.0   309   25.7 
2026-01-21 00:00 UT   11 50 17.6   -50 04 11    11.077   11.204   94.9    5.0   310   25.7 
2026-01-22 00:00 UT   11 49 52.0   -50 05 59    11.070   11.210   95.6    5.0   310   25.7 
2026-01-23 00:00 UT   11 49 25.8   -50 07 42    11.063   11.215   96.4    5.0   311   25.7 
2026-01-24 00:00 UT   11 48 59.2   -50 09 22    11.056   11.220   97.1    5.0   312   25.7 
2026-01-25 00:00 UT   11 48 32.0   -50 10 58    11.048   11.226   97.8    5.0   313   25.7 
2026-01-26 00:00 UT   11 48 04.3   -50 12 30    11.041   11.231   98.6    5.0   314   25.7 
2026-01-27 00:00 UT   11 47 36.2   -50 13 57    11.034   11.236   99.3    5.0   315   25.7 
2026-01-28 00:00 UT   11 47 07.5   -50 15 20    11.028   11.242  100.0    4.9   315   25.7 
2026-01-29 00:00 UT   11 46 38.4   -50 16 39    11.021   11.247  100.8    4.9   316   25.7 
2026-01-30 00:00 UT   11 46 08.9   -50 17 54    11.014   11.252  101.5    4.9   317   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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