Comet 364P/PANSTARRS
Comet 364P/PANSTARRS is in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Comet 364P/PANSTARRS is a periodic comet with an orbital period of 4.9 years. It was discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey on February 13, 2013. It has a highly elliptical orbit with a perihelion distance of 0.8 astronomical units (AU) and an aphelion distance of 4.9 AU. The comet is classified as a Jupiter-family comet, meaning its orbit is controlled and highly influenced by Jupiter's gravity. The next perihelion passage happens on May 11, 2023, and the next one after that will happen in April 2028.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 364P/PANSTARRS is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 58.73° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 364P/PANSTARRS is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 364P/PANSTARRS is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 364P/PANSTARRS?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 364P/PANSTARRS from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS to Earth happens on Sat Apr 8 2023 at a distance of 0.120731 Astronomical Units, or 18,061,047 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS at epoch 12 May 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457886.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.72258802 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.15537139° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.79809092 AU 119,392,703 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.95574082 AU 741,368,275 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.87691587 AU 430,380,489 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4.8798 years 1,782.3343 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Jun-24 09:34:07 2,458,293.8987 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-May-11 17:35 2,460,076.2330 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 211.92656439741° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 46.228328327998° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 277.71267078185° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.20198231°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sep 09 | 04h 34m 37s | +24° 20’ 50” | 26.46 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 10 | 04h 34m 41s | +24° 22’ 25” | 26.46 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 11 | 04h 34m 45s | +24° 23’ 58” | 26.46 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 12 | 04h 34m 47s | +24° 25’ 29” | 26.45 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 13 | 04h 34m 48s | +24° 26’ 59” | 26.45 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 14 | 04h 34m 48s | +24° 28’ 27” | 26.45 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 15 | 04h 34m 49s | +24° 29’ 53” | 26.45 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 16 | 04h 34m 47s | +24° 31’ 17” | 26.44 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 17 | 04h 34m 44s | +24° 32’ 40” | 26.44 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 18 | 04h 34m 39s | +24° 34’ 00” | 26.44 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 19 | 04h 34m 34s | +24° 35’ 19” | 26.44 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 20 | 04h 34m 28s | +24° 36’ 36” | 26.43 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 21 | 04h 34m 20s | +24° 37’ 52” | 26.43 | Taurus |
| 2024 Sep 22 | 04h 34m 12s | +24° 39’ 05” | 26.43 | Taurus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 364P/PANSTARRS?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Earth?)
- When does Comet 364P/PANSTARRS rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 364P/PANSTARRS?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 364P/PANSTARRS orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 364P/PANSTARRS with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.