C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Nearest approach	17 Jan 2023	9.5	1.784 AU	1.611 AU	17h31m	+56°38'	83.1°	33.2°	327°
Perihelion	18 Feb 2023	9.7	1.734 AU	1.867 AU	21h38m	+54°47'	66.8°	31.6°	353°
Today	17 Aug 2026	22.8	11.464 AU	10.724 AU	00h04m	-47°58'	135.1°	3.6°	308°

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 5.6 + 5 log[∆] + 11.3 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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0002080
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.7343800
    i (Inclination)                 : 108.21410
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 171.64210
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 88.36980
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 86.84466
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 71.71556
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459993.86550

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 13
    Reference                       : MPC194178

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-08-16 00:00 UT   00 05 16.7   -47 51 46    10.718   11.454  134.7    3.6   306   22.8 
2026-08-17 00:00 UT   00 04 53.3   -47 56 12    10.722   11.461  135.0    3.6   308   22.8 
2026-08-17 11:26 UT   00 04 42.0   -47 58 17    10.724   11.464  135.1    3.6   308   22.8 
2026-08-18 00:00 UT   00 04 29.6   -48 00 34    10.726   11.467  135.2    3.6   309   22.8 
2026-08-19 00:00 UT   00 04 05.5   -48 04 54    10.731   11.474  135.4    3.5   311   22.8 
2026-08-20 00:00 UT   00 03 41.1   -48 09 10    10.735   11.481  135.6    3.5   312   22.8 
2026-08-21 00:00 UT   00 03 16.3   -48 13 23    10.740   11.487  135.8    3.5   314   22.8 
2026-08-22 00:00 UT   00 02 51.2   -48 17 33    10.745   11.494  135.9    3.5   315   22.8 
2026-08-23 00:00 UT   00 02 25.9   -48 21 40    10.750   11.501  136.1    3.5   317   22.8 
2026-08-24 00:00 UT   00 02 00.2   -48 25 43    10.756   11.507  136.2    3.5   318   22.8 
2026-08-25 00:00 UT   00 01 34.2   -48 29 42    10.762   11.514  136.3    3.5   320   22.8 
2026-08-26 00:00 UT   00 01 07.9   -48 33 39    10.768   11.520  136.3    3.5   322   22.8 
2026-08-27 00:00 UT   00 00 41.4   -48 37 31    10.774   11.527  136.4    3.5   323   22.8 

    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.