C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	17 Jan 2023	9.5	1.784 AU	1.612 AU	17h32m	+56°38'	83.1°	33.2°	327°
Perihelion	18 Feb 2023	9.7	1.735 AU	1.867 AU	21h38m	+54°47'	66.8°	31.6°	353°
Today	22 Mar 2026	22.4	10.469 AU	11.202 AU	23h49m	-39°53'	40.9°	3.6°	187°

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. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.6 + 5 log[∆] + 11.3 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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0001750
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.7349660
    i (Inclination)                 : 108.20060
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 171.62960
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 88.37200
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 86.82887
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 71.72919
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459993.75950

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 21
    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
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   23 48 36.0   -39 54 28    11.199   10.456   40.0    3.5   184   22.4 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   23 49 01.9   -39 54 02    11.200   10.463   40.4    3.5   186   22.4 
2026-03-22 22:32 UT   23 49 26.2   -39 53 41    11.202   10.469   40.9    3.6   187   22.4 
2026-03-23 00:00 UT   23 49 27.8   -39 53 39    11.202   10.470   40.9    3.6   187   22.4 
2026-03-24 00:00 UT   23 49 53.6   -39 53 20    11.203   10.476   41.4    3.6   188   22.4 
2026-03-25 00:00 UT   23 50 19.4   -39 53 04    11.205   10.483   41.8    3.6   189   22.4 
2026-03-26 00:00 UT   23 50 45.0   -39 52 51    11.206   10.490   42.3    3.7   190   22.4 
2026-03-27 00:00 UT   23 51 10.7   -39 52 42    11.206   10.497   42.8    3.7   191   22.4 
2026-03-28 00:00 UT   23 51 36.2   -39 52 36    11.207   10.504   43.3    3.7   192   22.4 
2026-03-29 00:00 UT   23 52 01.7   -39 52 33    11.207   10.511   43.9    3.8   193   22.4 
2026-03-30 00:00 UT   23 52 27.1   -39 52 33    11.207   10.518   44.4    3.8   194   22.4 
2026-03-31 00:00 UT   23 52 52.4   -39 52 37    11.207   10.524   44.9    3.8   195   22.4 
2026-04-01 00:00 UT   23 53 17.6   -39 52 44    11.207   10.531   45.5    3.9   196   22.4 

    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.