C/2023 Q1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	1 Dec 2024	15.9	2.576 AU	1.949 AU	08h34m	+72°51'	119.1°	19.5°	249°
Nearest approach	28 Dec 2024	15.9	2.593 AU	1.900 AU	08h39m	+75°38'	125.1°	18.1°	217°
Today	11 Mar 2026	20.7	5.257 AU	4.294 AU	12h28m	+00°33'	164.2°	2.9°	281°

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 10.3 + 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/2023 Q1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0047770
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 2.5762460
    i (Inclination)                 : 36.64370
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 7.12420
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 84.42520
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 90.18829
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 36.44238
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460645.59900

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 11
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-E44

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-03-10 00:00 UT   12 29 43.2   +00 32 25     4.289    5.243  162.1    3.3   283   20.7 
2026-03-11 00:00 UT   12 29 05.6   +00 32 46     4.292    5.251  163.3    3.1   282   20.7 
2026-03-11 19:59 UT   12 28 34.2   +00 33 05     4.294    5.257  164.2    2.9   281   20.7 
2026-03-12 00:00 UT   12 28 27.9   +00 33 08     4.295    5.258  164.4    2.9   281   20.7 
2026-03-13 00:00 UT   12 27 49.9   +00 33 31     4.298    5.266  165.5    2.7   280   20.7 
2026-03-14 00:00 UT   12 27 11.7   +00 33 55     4.301    5.274  166.6    2.5   280   20.7 
2026-03-15 00:00 UT   12 26 33.4   +00 34 19     4.305    5.281  167.8    2.3   279   20.7 
2026-03-16 00:00 UT   12 25 54.9   +00 34 43     4.309    5.289  168.9    2.1   277   20.7 
2026-03-17 00:00 UT   12 25 16.4   +00 35 08     4.314    5.296  170.0    1.9   276   20.7 
2026-03-18 00:00 UT   12 24 37.7   +00 35 33     4.318    5.304  171.1    1.7   274   20.8 
2026-03-19 00:00 UT   12 23 59.0   +00 35 58     4.323    5.312  172.2    1.5   271   20.8 
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   12 23 20.3   +00 36 23     4.329    5.319  173.3    1.3   268   20.8 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   12 22 41.5   +00 36 48     4.335    5.327  174.3    1.1   264   20.8 

    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.