P/2020 MK4 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Today20 Oct 202519.56.147 AU5.325 AU 04h02m+27°28'142.7°5.6°250°
Nearest approach18 Dec 202619.46.130 AU5.155 AU 05h42m+31°26'171.9°1.3°180°
Perihelion25 Apr 202720.06.129 AU6.680 AU 05h46m+29°36'53.1°7.5°84°
P/2020 MK4 (PANSTARRS)- 2025-10-20
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
-1 month
-1 week
-1 day
Now
+1 day
+1 week
+1 month

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. (8.0 + 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 P/2020 MK4 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.0153940
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 6.1293670
    i (Inclination)                 : 6.78100
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 0.65910
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 94.00490
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : -85.30788
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 6.76436
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461520.58200
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 15.53

    Epoch                           : 2025 Oct 19
    Reference                       : MPEC 2024-NE4

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Chiron type
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 3.008

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2025-10-19 00:00 UT   04 03 20.3   +27 28 17     5.343    6.147  140.8    5.9   251   19.5 
2025-10-20 00:00 UT   04 02 60.0   +27 28 25     5.333    6.147  141.9    5.7   250   19.5 
2025-10-20 19:22 UT   04 02 43.2   +27 28 30     5.325    6.147  142.7    5.6   250   19.5 
2025-10-21 00:00 UT   04 02 39.1   +27 28 31     5.323    6.147  142.9    5.6   250   19.5 
2025-10-22 00:00 UT   04 02 17.7   +27 28 33     5.314    6.147  144.0    5.5   249   19.5 
2025-10-23 00:00 UT   04 01 55.7   +27 28 33     5.305    6.147  145.0    5.3   249   19.5 
2025-10-24 00:00 UT   04 01 33.2   +27 28 31     5.296    6.147  146.1    5.2   249   19.5 
2025-10-25 00:00 UT   04 01 10.1   +27 28 26     5.288    6.147  147.1    5.0   248   19.5 
2025-10-26 00:00 UT   04 00 46.5   +27 28 18     5.280    6.147  148.2    4.9   248   19.5 
2025-10-27 00:00 UT   04 00 22.5   +27 28 08     5.272    6.147  149.2    4.7   247   19.5 
2025-10-28 00:00 UT   03 59 57.9   +27 27 55     5.264    6.147  150.3    4.6   246   19.5 
2025-10-29 00:00 UT   03 59 32.9   +27 27 39     5.256    6.147  151.4    4.4   246   19.5 
2025-10-30 00:00 UT   03 59 07.5   +27 27 21     5.249    6.147  152.4    4.3   245   19.5 



    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.