C/2026 L1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Today	17 Jul 2026	19.6	5.298 AU	4.329 AU	20h29m	-04°53'	160.6°	3.6°	212°
Perihelion	11 Apr 2027	19.7	4.880 AU	5.399 AU	22h29m	-27°49'	54.1°	9.6°	235°
Nearest approach	9 Aug 2027	19.3	4.967 AU	4.166 AU	23h24m	-48°15'	138.1°	7.8°	309°

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. (9.2 + 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/2026 L1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9935650
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 4.8796310
    i (Inclination)                 : 67.26220
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 130.50400
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 200.58600
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 138.76412
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -18.92237
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461506.84110
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 20881.31

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-O09

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; Returning (a < 10000 AU); External (P > 200 years)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-07-16 00:00 UT   20 30 04.4   -04 40 14     4.340    5.303  159.3    3.9   215   19.6 
2026-07-17 00:00 UT   20 29 32.9   -04 48 56     4.333    5.300  160.2    3.7   213   19.6 
2026-07-17 12:55 UT   20 29 15.8   -04 53 40     4.329    5.298  160.6    3.6   212   19.6 
2026-07-18 00:00 UT   20 29 01.1   -04 57 45     4.325    5.297  161.0    3.6   211   19.6 
2026-07-19 00:00 UT   20 28 29.0   -05 06 38     4.319    5.294  161.9    3.4   208   19.6 
2026-07-20 00:00 UT   20 27 56.7   -05 15 37     4.312    5.291  162.7    3.3   206   19.6 
2026-07-21 00:00 UT   20 27 24.2   -05 24 41     4.306    5.288  163.4    3.1   203   19.6 
2026-07-22 00:00 UT   20 26 51.4   -05 33 50     4.300    5.285  164.2    3.0   200   19.6 
2026-07-23 00:00 UT   20 26 18.5   -05 43 04     4.295    5.282  164.9    2.9   197   19.6 
2026-07-24 00:00 UT   20 25 45.4   -05 52 22     4.290    5.279  165.5    2.8   193   19.6 
2026-07-25 00:00 UT   20 25 12.2   -06 01 45     4.285    5.276  166.1    2.7   189   19.6 
2026-07-26 00:00 UT   20 24 38.9   -06 11 13     4.280    5.273  166.6    2.6   185   19.6 
2026-07-27 00:00 UT   20 24 05.4   -06 20 44     4.276    5.270  167.0    2.5   180   19.6 

    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.