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C/2021 P2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach2 Sep 202219.35.183 AU4.295 AU 21h42m+19°35'148.5°5.8°150°
Perihelion23 Jan 202319.95.067 AU5.921 AU 20h40m+07°07'27.3°5.1°11°
Today1 Dec 202523.59.019 AU9.941 AU 15h27m-09°26'19.6°2.1°311°
C/2021 P2 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-12-01
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. (9.0 + 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 P2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9996300
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.0667150
    i (Inclination)                 : 150.04930
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 32.09960
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 76.70320
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : -42.64374
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 29.06952
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459967.54040

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 30
    Reference                       : MPC185656

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-11-30 00:00 UT   15 26 51.5   -09 24 15     9.941    9.010   18.3    2.0   313   23.5 
2025-12-01 00:00 UT   15 27 06.0   -09 25 52     9.941    9.015   19.1    2.1   312   23.5 
2025-12-01 14:17 UT   15 27 14.6   -09 26 50     9.941    9.019   19.6    2.1   311   23.5 
2025-12-02 00:00 UT   15 27 20.4   -09 27 28     9.941    9.021   19.9    2.1   311   23.5 
2025-12-03 00:00 UT   15 27 34.6   -09 29 03     9.941    9.026   20.8    2.2   309   23.5 
2025-12-04 00:00 UT   15 27 48.7   -09 30 36     9.940    9.031   21.6    2.3   308   23.5 
2025-12-05 00:00 UT   15 28 02.8   -09 32 07     9.939    9.037   22.5    2.4   307   23.5 
2025-12-06 00:00 UT   15 28 16.6   -09 33 37     9.938    9.042   23.3    2.5   306   23.5 
2025-12-07 00:00 UT   15 28 30.4   -09 35 06     9.937    9.047   24.2    2.6   305   23.6 
2025-12-08 00:00 UT   15 28 44.0   -09 36 33     9.935    9.053   25.1    2.6   304   23.6 
2025-12-09 00:00 UT   15 28 57.5   -09 37 59     9.933    9.058   26.0    2.7   303   23.6 
2025-12-10 00:00 UT   15 29 10.8   -09 39 23     9.931    9.064   26.9    2.8   302   23.6 
2025-12-11 00:00 UT   15 29 24.0   -09 40 45     9.928    9.069   27.8    2.9   302   23.6 




    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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