C/2019 U5 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	24 Mar 2023	12.4	3.627 AU	2.630 AU	12h06m	-01°23'	178.8°	0.3°	84°
Perihelion	29 Mar 2023	12.4	3.627 AU	2.636 AU	11h56m	-01°35'	171.6°	2.3°	101°
Today	1 Sep 2026	18.7	10.359 AU	10.262 AU	04h54m	-39°11'	92.7°	5.6°	262°

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 6.2 + 5 log[∆] + 7.4 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/2019 U5 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9999020
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.6265440
    i (Inclination)                 : 113.51960
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 2.57830
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 181.45590
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 1.99720
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -1.33493
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460032.69740

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 27
    Reference                       : MPC194164

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-08-31 00:00 UT   04 54 49.3   -39 04 15    10.266   10.349   91.9    5.6   260   18.7 
2026-09-01 00:00 UT   04 54 44.1   -39 08 54    10.263   10.355   92.4    5.6   261   18.7 
2026-09-01 14:58 UT   04 54 40.6   -39 11 48    10.262   10.359   92.7    5.6   262   18.7 
2026-09-02 00:00 UT   04 54 38.4   -39 13 33    10.261   10.362   92.9    5.6   262   18.7 
2026-09-03 00:00 UT   04 54 32.2   -39 18 14    10.258   10.368   93.4    5.6   263   18.7 
2026-09-04 00:00 UT   04 54 25.4   -39 22 55    10.256   10.374   93.9    5.6   264   18.7 
2026-09-05 00:00 UT   04 54 18.2   -39 27 37    10.253   10.380   94.4    5.6   265   18.7 
2026-09-06 00:00 UT   04 54 10.4   -39 32 20    10.251   10.386   94.9    5.6   265   18.7 
2026-09-07 00:00 UT   04 54 02.1   -39 37 03    10.249   10.392   95.4    5.5   266   18.7 
2026-09-08 00:00 UT   04 53 53.3   -39 41 47    10.246   10.398   95.9    5.5   267   18.7 
2026-09-09 00:00 UT   04 53 43.9   -39 46 31    10.244   10.404   96.3    5.5   268   18.7 
2026-09-10 00:00 UT   04 53 34.0   -39 51 16    10.242   10.410   96.8    5.5   269   18.7 
2026-09-11 00:00 UT   04 53 23.6   -39 56 01    10.240   10.416   97.3    5.5   270   18.7 

    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.