C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	8 May 2023	12.4	3.074 AU	2.646 AU	20h50m	-60°02'	105.5°	18.4°	263°
Nearest approach	9 Jun 2023	12.3	3.090 AU	2.476 AU	21h13m	-77°29'	118.3°	16.8°	293°
Today	3 Oct 2026	19.7	10.496 AU	10.452 AU	06h36m	-08°32'	89.8°	5.5°	274°

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 6.3 + 5 log[∆] + 8.1 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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9977880
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 3.0742430
    i (Inclination)                 : 89.67610
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 94.36340
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 213.93650
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 94.58135
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -33.93588
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460072.57220
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 51811.91

    Epoch                           : 2026 Oct 03
    Reference                       : MPC194167

    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
2026-10-02 00:00 UT   06 36 26.2   -08 29 07    10.468   10.485   88.2    5.5   273   19.7 
2026-10-03 00:00 UT   06 36 24.9   -08 30 43    10.460   10.491   89.0    5.5   274   19.7 
2026-10-03 20:56 UT   06 36 23.5   -08 32 07    10.452   10.496   89.8    5.5   274   19.7 
2026-10-04 00:00 UT   06 36 23.2   -08 32 19    10.451   10.497   89.9    5.5   274   19.7 
2026-10-05 00:00 UT   06 36 21.2   -08 33 55    10.443   10.503   90.7    5.5   275   19.7 
2026-10-06 00:00 UT   06 36 18.7   -08 35 31    10.435   10.510   91.6    5.5   275   19.7 
2026-10-07 00:00 UT   06 36 15.8   -08 37 07    10.426   10.516   92.4    5.5   276   19.7 
2026-10-08 00:00 UT   06 36 12.6   -08 38 42    10.418   10.522   93.2    5.4   276   19.7 
2026-10-09 00:00 UT   06 36 08.9   -08 40 16    10.410   10.529   94.1    5.4   277   19.7 
2026-10-10 00:00 UT   06 36 04.8   -08 41 50    10.401   10.535   95.0    5.4   277   19.7 
2026-10-11 00:00 UT   06 36 00.4   -08 43 23    10.393   10.541   95.8    5.4   278   19.7 
2026-10-12 00:00 UT   06 35 55.5   -08 44 56    10.385   10.548   96.7    5.4   278   19.7 
2026-10-13 00:00 UT   06 35 50.2   -08 46 28    10.376   10.554   97.5    5.4   279   19.7 

    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.