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P/2023 V2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach15 Nov 202320.23.161 AU2.186 AU 03h09m+06°45'168.3°3.7°11°
Perihelion3 Feb 202420.73.105 AU2.875 AU 03h07m+12°06'94.1°18.5°74°
Today4 May 202625.06.012 AU5.410 AU 11h29m+15°03'122.5°8.1°121°
P/2023 V2 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-05-04
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. (13.5 + 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 V2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.5696530
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.1050220
    i (Inclination)                 : 9.88830
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 95.47280
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 330.51440
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 66.35320
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -4.84873
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460343.91440
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 19.38

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 03
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-FC5

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.628

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   11 30 00.9   +15 04 56     5.380    6.005  124.2    8.0   121   24.9 
2026-05-04 00:00 UT   11 29 51.2   +15 04 21     5.397    6.009  123.2    8.1   121   24.9 
2026-05-04 17:55 UT   11 29 44.3   +15 03 51     5.410    6.012  122.5    8.1   121   25.0 
2026-05-05 00:00 UT   11 29 42.0   +15 03 40     5.414    6.013  122.2    8.2   121   25.0 
2026-05-06 00:00 UT   11 29 33.5   +15 02 56     5.431    6.017  121.3    8.2   120   25.0 
2026-05-07 00:00 UT   11 29 25.5   +15 02 06     5.449    6.021  120.3    8.3   120   25.0 
2026-05-08 00:00 UT   11 29 18.2   +15 01 13     5.466    6.026  119.3    8.4   120   25.0 
2026-05-09 00:00 UT   11 29 11.5   +15 00 15     5.484    6.030  118.4    8.5   120   25.0 
2026-05-10 00:00 UT   11 29 05.4   +14 59 13     5.502    6.034  117.4    8.5   119   25.0 
2026-05-11 00:00 UT   11 28 59.9   +14 58 06     5.520    6.038  116.5    8.6   119   25.0 
2026-05-12 00:00 UT   11 28 55.0   +14 56 55     5.538    6.042  115.5    8.7   119   25.0 
2026-05-13 00:00 UT   11 28 50.8   +14 55 40     5.556    6.046  114.6    8.7   119   25.0 
2026-05-14 00:00 UT   11 28 47.1   +14 54 21     5.575    6.051  113.6    8.8   118   25.0 




    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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