C/2021 R2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	20 Sep 2021	20.2	7.342 AU	6.394 AU	23h17m	+18°06'	159.3°	2.8°	155°
Perihelion	28 Dec 2021	20.5	7.315 AU	7.603 AU	22h29m	+13°54'	69.4°	7.2°	58°
Today	3 Apr 2026	23.6	11.898 AU	11.645 AU	17h47m	+20°04'	102.3°	4.7°	260°

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. (7.5 + 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 R2 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9996440
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 7.3149740
    i (Inclination)                 : 134.47690
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 16.36420
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 32.56170
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 352.26014
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 22.58346
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459577.10500

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 02
    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
2026-04-02 00:00 UT   17 48 03.8   +20 01 09    11.655   11.893  101.4    4.7   261   23.6 
2026-04-03 00:00 UT   17 47 51.2   +20 04 11    11.647   11.897  102.1    4.7   260   23.6 
2026-04-03 05:29 UT   17 47 48.3   +20 04 52    11.645   11.898  102.3    4.7   260   23.6 
2026-04-04 00:00 UT   17 47 38.4   +20 07 12    11.639   11.901  102.9    4.7   259   23.6 
2026-04-05 00:00 UT   17 47 25.1   +20 10 12    11.631   11.906  103.6    4.7   258   23.6 
2026-04-06 00:00 UT   17 47 11.4   +20 13 12    11.623   11.910  104.3    4.7   258   23.6 
2026-04-07 00:00 UT   17 46 57.4   +20 16 10    11.615   11.915  105.1    4.7   257   23.6 
2026-04-08 00:00 UT   17 46 43.0   +20 19 08    11.607   11.919  105.8    4.6   256   23.6 
2026-04-09 00:00 UT   17 46 28.2   +20 22 04    11.600   11.923  106.5    4.6   255   23.6 
2026-04-10 00:00 UT   17 46 13.1   +20 24 60    11.592   11.928  107.2    4.6   255   23.6 
2026-04-11 00:00 UT   17 45 57.6   +20 27 54    11.585   11.932  108.0    4.6   254   23.6 
2026-04-12 00:00 UT   17 45 41.7   +20 30 47    11.577   11.936  108.7    4.6   253   23.6 
2026-04-13 00:00 UT   17 45 25.4   +20 33 39    11.570   11.941  109.4    4.5   252   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.