C/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	24 Apr 2016	9.4	1.307 AU	1.918 AU	23h37m	+00°42'	39.4°	29.2°	250°
Nearest approach	23 Jun 2016	7.7	1.577 AU	0.618 AU	19h55m	-46°06'	148.6°	19.6°	307°
Today	20 Apr 2026	27.7	24.882 AU	24.117 AU	11h06m	-06°40'	138.8°	1.5°	100°

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 6.8 + 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/2013 X1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0009380
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.3070320
    i (Inclination)                 : 163.05490
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 132.03220
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 165.49300
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 145.93432
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 4.18684
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2457502.95990

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 19
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-19 00:00 UT   11 06 54.6   -06 42 39    24.091   24.874  140.4    1.5    99   27.7 
2026-04-20 00:00 UT   11 06 47.4   -06 41 32    24.106   24.879  139.5    1.5   100   27.7 
2026-04-20 16:39 UT   11 06 42.6   -06 40 45    24.117   24.882  138.8    1.5   100   27.7 
2026-04-21 00:00 UT   11 06 40.4   -06 40 25    24.121   24.884  138.5    1.5   100   27.7 
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   11 06 33.5   -06 39 18    24.137   24.888  137.5    1.6   101   27.7 
2026-04-23 00:00 UT   11 06 26.8   -06 38 11    24.153   24.893  136.6    1.6   101   27.7 
2026-04-24 00:00 UT   11 06 20.1   -06 37 05    24.169   24.898  135.6    1.6   101   27.7 
2026-04-25 00:00 UT   11 06 13.6   -06 35 59    24.185   24.903  134.6    1.6   102   27.7 
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   11 06 07.2   -06 34 54    24.201   24.908  133.7    1.7   102   27.7 
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   11 06 01.0   -06 33 49    24.218   24.912  132.7    1.7   103   27.7 
2026-04-28 00:00 UT   11 05 54.8   -06 32 45    24.235   24.917  131.8    1.7   103   27.7 
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   11 05 48.8   -06 31 41    24.252   24.922  130.8    1.8   103   27.7 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   11 05 42.9   -06 30 38    24.269   24.927  129.8    1.8   104   27.7 

    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.