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C/2024 L2 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris date magn radius delta ra dec elong phase PA
Perihelion16 Jun 202519.28.326 AU7.347 AU 18h40m-33°28'163.5°2.0°304°
Nearest approach28 Jun 202519.28.326 AU7.323 AU 18h30m-33°09'170.1°1.2°359°
Today21 Mar 202619.68.489 AU8.451 AU 18h06m-22°16'88.8°6.7°269°
C/2024 L2 (PANSTARRS)- 2026-03-21
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. 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. (7.5 + 5 log[∆] + 8.0 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/2024 L2 (PANSTARRS) are: 

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0050100
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 8.3261220
    i (Inclination)                 : 139.58350
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 266.18050
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 345.86280
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 277.03598
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -9.11133
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460843.48900

    Epoch                           : 2026 Mar 20
    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
2026-03-20 00:00 UT   18 07 01.9   -22 19 58     8.474    8.487   87.4    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-21 00:00 UT   18 06 52.2   -22 17 40     8.457    8.489   88.4    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-21 08:56 UT   18 06 48.4   -22 16 49     8.451    8.489   88.8    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-22 00:00 UT   18 06 41.9   -22 15 22     8.440    8.490   89.5    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-23 00:00 UT   18 06 31.0   -22 13 04     8.424    8.491   90.5    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-24 00:00 UT   18 06 19.6   -22 10 44     8.407    8.492   91.5    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-25 00:00 UT   18 06 07.6   -22 08 25     8.390    8.493   92.6    6.7   269   19.6 
2026-03-26 00:00 UT   18 05 55.0   -22 06 04     8.373    8.494   93.6    6.7   269   19.5 
2026-03-27 00:00 UT   18 05 41.9   -22 03 44     8.356    8.496   94.6    6.7   269   19.5 
2026-03-28 00:00 UT   18 05 28.1   -22 01 22     8.340    8.497   95.7    6.7   269   19.5 
2026-03-29 00:00 UT   18 05 13.9   -21 59 00     8.323    8.498   96.7    6.7   269   19.5 
2026-03-30 00:00 UT   18 04 59.0   -21 56 38     8.306    8.499   97.8    6.7   269   19.5 
2026-03-31 00:00 UT   18 04 43.6   -21 54 15     8.290    8.500   98.8    6.7   269   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.

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