C/2024 O1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	27 Jan 2023	21.1	6.603 AU	7.567 AU	20h12m	-27°44'	10.9°	1.6°	214°
Nearest approach	24 Jul 2023	20.5	6.709 AU	5.699 AU	20h30m	-14°29'	173.5°	1.0°	214°
Today	26 Jul 2026	23.7	10.467 AU	10.079 AU	22h00m	+46°53'	109.8°	5.2°	205°

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. (8.5 + 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/2024 O1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9997580
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 6.6027960
    i (Inclination)                 : 59.08220
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 303.34630
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 349.81760
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 298.07365
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -8.72329
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459972.18300

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 25
    Reference                       : MPC194190

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-07-25 00:00 UT   22 01 03.0   +46 50 43    10.082   10.462  109.3    5.3   206   23.7 
2026-07-26 00:00 UT   22 00 38.9   +46 53 38    10.079   10.467  109.8    5.2   205   23.7 
2026-07-26 01:40 UT   22 00 37.3   +46 53 50    10.079   10.467  109.8    5.2   205   23.7 
2026-07-27 00:00 UT   22 00 14.6   +46 56 28    10.076   10.471  110.2    5.2   204   23.7 
2026-07-28 00:00 UT   21 59 50.0   +46 59 13    10.073   10.476  110.7    5.2   203   23.7 
2026-07-29 00:00 UT   21 59 25.2   +47 01 53    10.070   10.480  111.2    5.2   202   23.7 
2026-07-30 00:00 UT   21 59 00.1   +47 04 27    10.068   10.485  111.7    5.2   201   23.7 
2026-07-31 00:00 UT   21 58 34.7   +47 06 56    10.065   10.489  112.1    5.1   200   23.7 
2026-08-01 00:00 UT   21 58 09.1   +47 09 20    10.063   10.494  112.6    5.1   199   23.7 
2026-08-02 00:00 UT   21 57 43.3   +47 11 38    10.060   10.499  113.0    5.1   198   23.7 
2026-08-03 00:00 UT   21 57 17.3   +47 13 51    10.058   10.503  113.4    5.1   197   23.7 
2026-08-04 00:00 UT   21 56 51.0   +47 15 58    10.056   10.508  113.9    5.1   196   23.7 
2026-08-05 00:00 UT   21 56 24.6   +47 17 60    10.054   10.512  114.3    5.0   195   23.7 

    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.