We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now and help us to keep this site free and ad-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:47  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
wb_twilight Nautical TwilightWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS

Altitude: -36.2°   Azimuth: 334.3°   Direction: North-North-West

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.

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS is currently in the constellation of Cetus.

The current Right Ascension of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS is 00h 41m 58s and the Declination is -00° 32’ 49” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS is 22.69 (JPL).

00h 41m 58s
-00° 32’ 49”
Cetus
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
22.69

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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 90.5°
Max altitude: 38.0°
Azimuth: 269.4°
  • 364P/PANSTARRS is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • 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.

Available Resources

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet 364P/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.

Finder chart of 364P/PANSTARRS in Cetus on December,05 2023
Map showing Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in Cetus on December, 05 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 364P/PANSTARRS
Map showing Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in Cetus on December, 05 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher 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.

364P/PANSTARRS
RA: 00h 41m 58s
Dec: -00° 32’ 49”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 364P/PANSTARRS
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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.

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Earth is currently 300,153,120 kilometers, equivalent to 2.006400 Astronomical Units. Light takes 16 minutes and 41.2030 seconds to travel from Comet 364P/PANSTARRS and arrive to us.

300,153,120
2.006400
16 minutes and 41.2030 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS to Earth

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:

Sat Apr 8 2023
18,061,047
0.120731

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS Brightness and 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS as a function of time

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS 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

Visualization of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 364P/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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 364P/PANSTARRS
View Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet 364P/PANSTARRS 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 364P/PANSTARRS in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 28 00h 41m 56s -01° 12’ 21” 22.41 Cetus
2023 Nov 29 00h 41m 50s -01° 07’ 09” 22.45 Cetus
2023 Nov 30 00h 41m 48s -01° 01’ 53” 22.49 Cetus
2023 Dec 01 00h 41m 47s -00° 56’ 31” 22.53 Cetus
2023 Dec 02 00h 41m 47s -00° 51’ 05” 22.56 Cetus
2023 Dec 03 00h 41m 48s -00° 45’ 33” 22.60 Cetus
2023 Dec 04 00h 41m 52s -00° 39’ 57” 22.64 Cetus
2023 Dec 05 00h 41m 57s -00° 34’ 18” 22.68 Cetus
2023 Dec 06 00h 42m 02s -00° 28’ 32” 22.71 Cetus
2023 Dec 07 00h 42m 11s -00° 22’ 45” 22.75 Cetus
2023 Dec 08 00h 42m 20s -00° 16’ 51” 22.79 Cetus
2023 Dec 09 00h 42m 30s -00° 10’ 54” 22.82 Cetus
2023 Dec 10 00h 42m 42s -00° 04’ 54” 22.86 Cetus
2023 Dec 11 00h 42m 56s +00° 01’ 09” 22.89 Cetus