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C/2021 N3 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach4 Jul 202019.55.712 AU4.793 AU 18h56m-50°35'152.2°4.8°359°
Perihelion16 Aug 202019.65.704 AU5.014 AU 18h39m-48°11'128.9°7.9°64°
Today14 Jul 202625.914.463 AU14.511 AU 01h07m+28°25'85.3°4.0°248°
C/2021 N3 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-07-14
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. (8.5 + 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 N3 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9584900
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.7041010
    i (Inclination)                 : 26.77410
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 337.54920
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 304.47800
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 285.11596
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -21.79861
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459077.52620
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 1610.84

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 13
    Reference                       : MPC194175

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-07-13 00:00 UT   01 07 45.1   +28 22 33    14.528   14.456   83.9    4.0   248   25.9 
2026-07-14 00:00 UT   01 07 47.3   +28 24 31    14.517   14.460   84.8    4.0   248   25.9 
2026-07-14 13:11 UT   01 07 48.3   +28 25 35    14.511   14.463   85.3    4.0   248   25.9 
2026-07-15 00:00 UT   01 07 49.1   +28 26 28    14.506   14.465   85.7    4.0   248   25.9 
2026-07-16 00:00 UT   01 07 50.7   +28 28 24    14.495   14.470   86.5    4.0   247   25.9 
2026-07-17 00:00 UT   01 07 52.0   +28 30 18    14.484   14.475   87.4    4.0   247   25.9 
2026-07-18 00:00 UT   01 07 53.0   +28 32 11    14.473   14.479   88.3    4.0   247   25.9 
2026-07-19 00:00 UT   01 07 53.8   +28 34 02    14.463   14.484   89.2    4.0   246   25.9 
2026-07-20 00:00 UT   01 07 54.2   +28 35 52    14.452   14.489   90.1    4.0   246   25.9 
2026-07-21 00:00 UT   01 07 54.4   +28 37 40    14.441   14.494   91.0    4.0   246   25.9 
2026-07-22 00:00 UT   01 07 54.3   +28 39 27    14.430   14.499   91.8    4.0   245   25.9 
2026-07-23 00:00 UT   01 07 53.9   +28 41 12    14.419   14.503   92.7    4.0   245   25.9 
2026-07-24 00:00 UT   01 07 53.2   +28 42 56    14.408   14.508   93.6    4.0   245   25.9 




    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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