C/2024 O1 (PANSTARRS)
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	27 Jan 2023	21.1	6.603 AU	7.567 AU	20h12m	-27°44'	10.9°	1.6°	214°
Nearest approach	24 Jul 2023	20.5	6.709 AU	5.699 AU	20h30m	-14°29'	173.5°	1.0°	214°
Today	9 Aug 2026	23.7	10.533 AU	10.047 AU	21h54m	+47°25'	116.1°	5.0°	190°

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. (8.5 + 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/2024 O1 (PANSTARRS) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.9997380
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 6.6026590
    i (Inclination)                 : 59.08220
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 303.34610
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 349.81570
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 298.07246
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -8.72491
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2459972.16050

    Epoch                           : 2026 Aug 08
    Reference                       : MPC194190

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

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-08-08 00:00 UT   21 55 04.2   +47 23 32    10.049   10.526  115.5    5.0   192   23.7 
2026-08-09 00:00 UT   21 54 37.1   +47 25 12    10.048   10.531  115.9    5.0   191   23.7 
2026-08-09 11:48 UT   21 54 23.7   +47 25 59    10.047   10.533  116.1    5.0   190   23.7 
2026-08-10 00:00 UT   21 54 09.8   +47 26 46    10.046   10.535  116.3    4.9   190   23.7 
2026-08-11 00:00 UT   21 53 42.5   +47 28 14    10.045   10.540  116.7    4.9   189   23.7 
2026-08-12 00:00 UT   21 53 15.0   +47 29 37    10.044   10.544  117.1    4.9   188   23.7 
2026-08-13 00:00 UT   21 52 47.4   +47 30 54    10.044   10.549  117.4    4.9   186   23.7 
2026-08-14 00:00 UT   21 52 19.8   +47 32 05    10.043   10.554  117.8    4.9   185   23.7 
2026-08-15 00:00 UT   21 51 52.1   +47 33 11    10.042   10.558  118.1    4.9   184   23.7 
2026-08-16 00:00 UT   21 51 24.3   +47 34 11    10.042   10.563  118.5    4.8   183   23.7 
2026-08-17 00:00 UT   21 50 56.5   +47 35 05    10.042   10.567  118.8    4.8   182   23.7 
2026-08-18 00:00 UT   21 50 28.6   +47 35 54    10.042   10.572  119.1    4.8   181   23.8 
2026-08-19 00:00 UT   21 50 00.8   +47 36 38    10.042   10.576  119.4    4.8   180   23.8 

    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.