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C/2021 P2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach2 Sep 202219.35.182 AU4.294 AU 21h42m+19°35'148.5°5.8°150°
Perihelion22 Jan 202319.95.066 AU5.920 AU 20h40m+07°07'27.3°5.1°11°
Today26 Mar 202623.69.637 AU8.913 AU 15h21m-09°29'134.4°4.2°276°
C/2021 P2 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-03-26
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)                : 0.9995520
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 5.0656090
    i (Inclination)                 : 150.04460
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 32.10280
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 76.69030
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 317.37478
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 29.07236
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459967.47240

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 25
    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
2026-03-25 00:00 UT   15 22 15.9   -09 31 41     8.924    9.629  132.7    4.4   277   23.6 
2026-03-26 00:00 UT   15 21 49.6   -09 30 19     8.917    9.634  133.8    4.3   276   23.6 
2026-03-26 14:06 UT   15 21 34.1   -09 29 30     8.913    9.637  134.4    4.2   276   23.6 
2026-03-27 00:00 UT   15 21 23.0   -09 28 55     8.910    9.640  134.9    4.2   276   23.6 
2026-03-28 00:00 UT   15 20 56.1   -09 27 31     8.903    9.645  135.9    4.1   276   23.6 
2026-03-29 00:00 UT   15 20 28.7   -09 26 07     8.896    9.650  137.0    4.0   276   23.6 
2026-03-30 00:00 UT   15 20 01.0   -09 24 41     8.889    9.656  138.1    4.0   275   23.6 
2026-03-31 00:00 UT   15 19 33.0   -09 23 15     8.883    9.661  139.2    3.9   275   23.6 
2026-04-01 00:00 UT   15 19 04.6   -09 21 48     8.877    9.667  140.2    3.8   275   23.6 
2026-04-02 00:00 UT   15 18 35.9   -09 20 21     8.871    9.672  141.3    3.7   274   23.6 
2026-04-03 00:00 UT   15 18 06.9   -09 18 53     8.866    9.677  142.4    3.6   274   23.6 
2026-04-04 00:00 UT   15 17 37.6   -09 17 24     8.861    9.683  143.5    3.5   273   23.6 
2026-04-05 00:00 UT   15 17 08.0   -09 15 55     8.856    9.688  144.6    3.4   273   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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