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P/2023 M2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion28 Jul 202320.13.521 AU2.659 AU 23h03m-31°46'142.7°10.1°280°
Nearest approach21 Aug 202320.03.524 AU2.583 AU 22h53m-34°32'154.6°7.1°329°
Today21 Nov 202523.05.384 AU4.435 AU 05h05m+18°45'162.1°3.2°277°
P/2023 M2 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-11-21
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. (12.5 + 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 P/2023 M2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.3696370
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.5211820
    i (Inclination)                 : 19.72110
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 83.25550
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 243.64980
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 145.50287
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -17.60067
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460153.53790
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 13.20

    Epoch                           : 2025 Nov 20
    Reference                       : MPEC 2024-TD8

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.744

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-11-20 00:00 UT   05 06 20.0   +18 43 40     4.440    5.378  159.9    3.6   276   23.0 
2025-11-21 00:00 UT   05 05 46.6   +18 44 29     4.437    5.381  161.0    3.4   277   23.0 
2025-11-21 23:39 UT   05 05 13.3   +18 45 18     4.435    5.384  162.1    3.2   277   23.0 
2025-11-22 00:00 UT   05 05 12.8   +18 45 18     4.435    5.384  162.1    3.2   277   23.0 
2025-11-23 00:00 UT   05 04 38.6   +18 46 08     4.433    5.387  163.2    3.0   278   23.0 
2025-11-24 00:00 UT   05 04 04.1   +18 46 58     4.432    5.389  164.3    2.8   279   23.0 
2025-11-25 00:00 UT   05 03 29.4   +18 47 48     4.431    5.392  165.5    2.6   280   23.1 
2025-11-26 00:00 UT   05 02 54.4   +18 48 38     4.430    5.395  166.6    2.4   281   23.1 
2025-11-27 00:00 UT   05 02 19.1   +18 49 29     4.429    5.398  167.7    2.2   283   23.1 
2025-11-28 00:00 UT   05 01 43.7   +18 50 20     4.429    5.400  168.8    2.0   284   23.1 
2025-11-29 00:00 UT   05 01 08.0   +18 51 11     4.429    5.403  169.8    1.8   286   23.1 
2025-11-30 00:00 UT   05 00 32.2   +18 52 02     4.430    5.406  170.9    1.7   289   23.1 
2025-12-01 00:00 UT   04 59 56.3   +18 52 54     4.431    5.409  171.9    1.5   292   23.1 




    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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