C/2020 PV6 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	19 Jul 2021	14.6	2.409 AU	1.666 AU	19h15m	+32°17'	126.1°	19.9°	169°
Perihelion	24 Sep 2021	14.9	2.291 AU	2.542 AU	16h13m	+21°49'	64.2°	23.2°	78°
Today	1 Oct 2026	38.4	13.820 AU	14.365 AU	08h47m	-03°00'	55.3°	3.4°	272°

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 3.8 + 5 log[∆] + 25.2 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 PV6 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9445730
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.2910930
    i (Inclination)                 : 128.12540
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 329.11250
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 71.24080
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 267.92841
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 48.14817
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459482.48730
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 265.76

    Epoch                           : 2026 Jul 19
    Reference                       : MPC194169

    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
2026-09-30 00:00 UT   08 46 59.3   -02 58 11    14.375   13.813   54.1    3.4   271   38.4 
2026-10-01 00:00 UT   08 47 05.2   -03 00 18    14.368   13.818   55.0    3.4   272   38.4 
2026-10-01 07:17 UT   08 47 06.9   -03 00 57    14.365   13.820   55.3    3.4   272   38.4 
2026-10-02 00:00 UT   08 47 10.8   -03 02 26    14.360   13.824   55.9    3.4   272   38.4 
2026-10-03 00:00 UT   08 47 16.2   -03 04 34    14.352   13.829   56.7    3.5   272   38.4 
2026-10-04 00:00 UT   08 47 21.4   -03 06 41    14.344   13.834   57.6    3.5   273   38.4 
2026-10-05 00:00 UT   08 47 26.4   -03 08 49    14.336   13.840   58.5    3.5   273   38.4 
2026-10-06 00:00 UT   08 47 31.1   -03 10 56    14.327   13.845   59.4    3.6   274   38.4 
2026-10-07 00:00 UT   08 47 35.6   -03 13 04    14.319   13.850   60.3    3.6   274   38.4 
2026-10-08 00:00 UT   08 47 39.8   -03 15 11    14.310   13.856   61.1    3.6   275   38.4 
2026-10-09 00:00 UT   08 47 43.8   -03 17 18    14.301   13.861   62.0    3.6   275   38.4 
2026-10-10 00:00 UT   08 47 47.6   -03 19 25    14.292   13.866   62.9    3.7   276   38.4 
2026-10-11 00:00 UT   08 47 51.1   -03 21 32    14.283   13.872   63.8    3.7   276   38.4 

    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.