Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Leo. The current Right Ascension of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 09h 46m 54s and the Declination is +23° 54’ 36” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 23.99 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 14° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
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Also check out Where is Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 489,732,536 kilometers, equivalent to 3.273660 Astronomical Units. Light takes 27 minutes and 13.5719 seconds to travel from Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (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/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Sat Apr 8 2023 at a distance of 0.120719 Astronomical Units, or 18,059,326 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 23.99.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated 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.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (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.
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 30 March 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457843.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.72255534 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.15528401° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.79820579 AU 119,409,886 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.95577609 AU 741,373,553 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.87699094 AU 430,391,719 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4.8800 years 1,782.4041 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Jun-24 09:52:31 2,458,293.9115 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-May-11 19:34 2,460,076.3156 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 211.92463683591° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 46.227711271186° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 269.0284116653° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.20197440°/day |
Visualization of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Sep 26 | 09h 35m 23s | +24° 34’ 42” | 24.18 | Leo |
| 2022 Sep 27 | 09h 36m 55s | +24° 29’ 30” | 24.15 | Leo |
| 2022 Sep 28 | 09h 38m 25s | +24° 24’ 18” | 24.13 | Leo |
| 2022 Sep 29 | 09h 39m 55s | +24° 19’ 04” | 24.11 | Leo |
| 2022 Sep 30 | 09h 41m 26s | +24° 13’ 49” | 24.08 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 01 | 09h 42m 56s | +24° 08’ 34” | 24.06 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 02 | 09h 44m 26s | +24° 03’ 19” | 24.03 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 03 | 09h 45m 56s | +23° 58’ 03” | 24.01 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 04 | 09h 47m 26s | +23° 52’ 45” | 23.98 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 05 | 09h 48m 57s | +23° 47’ 29” | 23.95 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 06 | 09h 50m 27s | +23° 42’ 11” | 23.93 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 07 | 09h 51m 59s | +23° 36’ 53” | 23.90 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 08 | 09h 53m 29s | +23° 31’ 36” | 23.88 | Leo |
| 2022 Oct 09 | 09h 55m 00s | +23° 26’ 17” | 23.85 | Leo |