488P/NEAT-PANSTARRS
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	21 May 2024	20.2	1.700 AU	1.917 AU	23h52m	-00°04'	62.2°	31.8°	247°
Nearest approach	7 Oct 2024	20.3	2.144 AU	1.255 AU	02h27m	+34°30'	143.8°	16.0°	223°
Today	23 Apr 2026	26.9	4.855 AU	5.118 AU	06h54m	+28°22'	69.3°	11.2°	93°

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. (16.5 + 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 488P/NEAT-PANSTARRS are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 0.5502200
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 1.6998290
    i (Inclination)                 : 11.65880
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 322.81480
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 3.76390
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 326.50126
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : 0.76010
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2460451.85330
    P (Orbital period in years)     : 7.35

    Epoch                           : 2026 Apr 22
    Reference                       : MPC191639

    Classification(s):              : Ecliptic; Jupiter family
    Tisserand (Jupiter)             : 2.771

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-04-22 00:00 UT   06 53 56.3   +28 25 38     5.093    4.851   70.5   11.3    93   26.9 
2026-04-23 00:00 UT   06 54 31.7   +28 23 15     5.111    4.854   69.6   11.2    93   26.9 
2026-04-23 08:06 UT   06 54 43.7   +28 22 27     5.118    4.855   69.3   11.2    93   26.9 
2026-04-24 00:00 UT   06 55 07.6   +28 20 52     5.129    4.857   68.8   11.1    93   26.9 
2026-04-25 00:00 UT   06 55 44.1   +28 18 29     5.147    4.860   68.0   11.1    93   26.9 
2026-04-26 00:00 UT   06 56 21.0   +28 16 05     5.165    4.864   67.1   11.0    93   26.9 
2026-04-27 00:00 UT   06 56 58.6   +28 13 41     5.183    4.867   66.3   10.9    93   26.9 
2026-04-28 00:00 UT   06 57 36.6   +28 11 17     5.201    4.870   65.5   10.8    93   27.0 
2026-04-29 00:00 UT   06 58 15.1   +28 08 52     5.219    4.873   64.6   10.8    93   27.0 
2026-04-30 00:00 UT   06 58 54.1   +28 06 28     5.236    4.876   63.8   10.7    93   27.0 
2026-05-01 00:00 UT   06 59 33.6   +28 04 03     5.253    4.880   63.0   10.6    93   27.0 
2026-05-02 00:00 UT   07 00 13.5   +28 01 37     5.271    4.883   62.2   10.5    93   27.0 
2026-05-03 00:00 UT   07 00 53.9   +27 59 12     5.288    4.886   61.4   10.4    93   27.0 

    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.