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C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Nearest approach4 Feb 202115.51.431 AU1.247 AU 01h44m+26°00'78.7°42.5°66°
Perihelion13 Mar 202115.31.320 AU1.305 AU 03h59m+17°01'68.6°44.5°80°
Today10 Nov 202631.916.666 AU17.516 AU 16h50m-34°28'30.0°1.7°118°
C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-11-10
astro.vanbuitenen.nl


 
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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 13.5 + 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/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0010240
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.3199970
    i (Inclination)                 : 29.77520
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 279.85670
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 186.88180
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 285.83705
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -3.41129
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459286.87820

    Epoch                           : 2026 May 29
    Reference                       : MPC194168

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-11-09 00:00 UT   16 49 50.3   -34 28 25    17.496   16.657   31.2    1.8   117   31.9 
2026-11-10 00:00 UT   16 50 06.7   -34 28 22    17.510   16.663   30.4    1.7   118   31.9 
2026-11-10 10:30 UT   16 50 13.9   -34 28 21    17.516   16.666   30.0    1.7   118   31.9 
2026-11-11 00:00 UT   16 50 23.2   -34 28 19    17.523   16.669   29.5    1.7   119   31.9 
2026-11-12 00:00 UT   16 50 39.8   -34 28 17    17.536   16.675   28.6    1.6   120   31.9 
2026-11-13 00:00 UT   16 50 56.4   -34 28 16    17.549   16.680   27.8    1.6   121   31.9 
2026-11-14 00:00 UT   16 51 13.2   -34 28 16    17.562   16.686   26.9    1.5   121   31.9 
2026-11-15 00:00 UT   16 51 30.1   -34 28 16    17.574   16.692   26.1    1.5   122   31.9 
2026-11-16 00:00 UT   16 51 47.0   -34 28 17    17.586   16.698   25.2    1.4   123   31.9 
2026-11-17 00:00 UT   16 52 04.0   -34 28 19    17.598   16.703   24.4    1.4   124   31.9 
2026-11-18 00:00 UT   16 52 21.1   -34 28 21    17.610   16.709   23.6    1.4   126   31.9 
2026-11-19 00:00 UT   16 52 38.3   -34 28 25    17.621   16.715   22.8    1.3   127   31.9 
2026-11-20 00:00 UT   16 52 55.5   -34 28 28    17.632   16.720   22.0    1.3   128   31.9 




    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.

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