P/2023 V6 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	8 Oct 2022	20.5	4.357 AU	3.358 AU	00h59m	+05°44'	179.2°	0.2°	290°
Perihelion	24 Nov 2022	20.7	4.354 AU	3.658 AU	00h42m	+03°31'	129.6°	10.1°	66°
Today	25 Jan 2026	22.2	5.501 AU	4.536 AU	09h12m	+12°01'	167.3°	2.3°	305°

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. (11.5 + 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 V6 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.1752700
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.3544690
    i (Inclination)                 : 3.97860
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 189.47050
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 191.74340
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 201.18638
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -0.80914
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459907.62440
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 12.13

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jan 24
    Reference                       : MPC181182

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.964

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-01-24 00:00 UT   09 12 55.3   +11 58 44     4.539    5.500  166.1    2.5   303   22.2 
2026-01-25 00:00 UT   09 12 25.7   +12 01 01     4.537    5.501  167.2    2.3   305   22.2 
2026-01-25 02:21 UT   09 12 22.8   +12 01 14     4.536    5.501  167.3    2.3   305   22.2 
2026-01-26 00:00 UT   09 11 56.0   +12 03 20     4.534    5.502  168.3    2.1   307   22.2 
2026-01-27 00:00 UT   09 11 26.0   +12 05 40     4.533    5.503  169.3    1.9   309   22.2 
2026-01-28 00:00 UT   09 10 55.9   +12 08 02     4.531    5.505  170.4    1.7   311   22.2 
2026-01-29 00:00 UT   09 10 25.7   +12 10 25     4.530    5.506  171.4    1.5   314   22.2 
2026-01-30 00:00 UT   09 09 55.3   +12 12 49     4.529    5.507  172.4    1.4   318   22.2 
2026-01-31 00:00 UT   09 09 24.9   +12 15 15     4.528    5.508  173.4    1.2   323   22.2 
2026-02-01 00:00 UT   09 08 54.3   +12 17 41     4.528    5.509  174.3    1.0   330   22.2 
2026-02-02 00:00 UT   09 08 23.7   +12 20 09     4.528    5.511  175.0    0.9   339   22.2 
2026-02-03 00:00 UT   09 07 53.1   +12 22 37     4.529    5.512  175.6    0.8   351   22.2 
2026-02-04 00:00 UT   09 07 22.4   +12 25 07     4.529    5.513  176.0    0.7     6   22.2 

    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.