C/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	22 Aug 2014	6.9	1.067 AU	1.995 AU	08h56m	+09°39'	16.8°	15.9°	261°
Nearest approach	29 Oct 2014	6.8	1.525 AU	0.981 AU	06h00m	-47°02'	101.1°	39.7°	304°
Today	16 Apr 2026	25.5	27.857 AU	28.227 AU	21h25m	-14°42'	67.4°	1.9°	252°

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. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 5.2 + 5 log[∆] + 9.1 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/2012 K1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9998930
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.0668800
    i (Inclination)                 : 142.66850
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 317.79340
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 203.20180
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 298.97290
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -13.82245
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2456891.73970
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 995629.36

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

    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
2026-04-15 00:00 UT   21 25 50.7   -14 42 45    28.248   27.848   65.5    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-16 00:00 UT   21 25 53.6   -14 42 26    28.237   27.852   66.5    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-16 21:49 UT   21 25 56.2   -14 42 09    28.227   27.857   67.4    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-17 00:00 UT   21 25 56.5   -14 42 07    28.226   27.857   67.4    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-18 00:00 UT   21 25 59.2   -14 41 49    28.214   27.862   68.4    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-19 00:00 UT   21 26 01.7   -14 41 32    28.203   27.866   69.4    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-20 00:00 UT   21 26 04.1   -14 41 16    28.192   27.871   70.3    1.9   252   25.5 
2026-04-21 00:00 UT   21 26 06.4   -14 40 60    28.180   27.875   71.3    2.0   252   25.5 
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   21 26 08.6   -14 40 44    28.168   27.880   72.3    2.0   252   25.5 
2026-04-23 00:00 UT   21 26 10.6   -14 40 30    28.157   27.884   73.2    2.0   252   25.5 
2026-04-24 00:00 UT   21 26 12.5   -14 40 15    28.145   27.889   74.2    2.0   252   25.5 
2026-04-25 00:00 UT   21 26 14.3   -14 40 02    28.133   27.893   75.2    2.0   252   25.5 
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   21 26 15.9   -14 39 49    28.121   27.898   76.1    2.0   252   25.5 

    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.