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🌎  Observing from: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
🌅 Sunrise: 6:48  ☀️ Transit: 13:04  🌅 Sunset: 19:21

Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)

Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Corona Borealis. The current Right Ascension of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 15h 59m 51s and the Declination is +31° 41’ 36” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 13.27 (JPL).

15h 59m 51s
+31° 41’ 36”
Corona Borealis
13.27

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 58.2°
Max altitude: 70.1°
Azimuth: 301.7°
  • 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
  • Right now it is placed in the North-West direction at an altitude of 12° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is visible with the help of a telescope havng an aperture of 10 inches (250mm) or more.
  • 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/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.

Map showing Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) in Corona Borealis on March, 27 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Map showing Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) in Corona Borealis on March, 27 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
 = visible to the naked eye
 = binocular, brighter than 10th magnitude
= current altitude ≥ 30°   = current altitude < 30°   = below the horizon
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]

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.

364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)
RA: 15h 59m 51s
Dec: +31° 41’ 36”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

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 26,469,729 kilometers, equivalent to 0.176939 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 minutes and 28.2935 seconds to travel from Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

26,469,729
0.176939
1 minutes and 28.2935 seconds

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.

Chart of the distance of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (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/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 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (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/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Brightness

The current visual magnitude of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 13.27.

13.27
-
-

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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) as a function of time

Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (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/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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)
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
2023 Mar 20 14h 52m 50s +28° 50’ 44” 14.31 Bootes
2023 Mar 21 14h 59m 30s +29° 14’ 57” 14.18 Bootes
2023 Mar 22 15h 06m 45s +29° 39’ 23” 14.04 Bootes
2023 Mar 23 15h 14m 36s +30° 03’ 46” 13.90 Bootes
2023 Mar 24 15h 23m 12s +30° 27’ 51” 13.76 Corona Borealis
2023 Mar 25 15h 32m 35s +30° 51’ 14” 13.62 Corona Borealis
2023 Mar 26 15h 42m 51s +31° 13’ 24” 13.48 Corona Borealis
2023 Mar 27 15h 54m 08s +31° 33’ 39” 13.33 Corona Borealis
2023 Mar 28 16h 06m 32s +31° 51’ 06” 13.19 Corona Borealis
2023 Mar 29 16h 20m 09s +32° 04’ 36” 13.04 Corona Borealis
2023 Mar 30 16h 35m 06s +32° 12’ 39” 12.89 Hercules
2023 Mar 31 16h 51m 27s +32° 13’ 32” 12.75 Hercules
2023 Apr 01 17h 09m 12s +32° 05’ 11” 12.61 Hercules
2023 Apr 02 17h 28m 24s +31° 45’ 16” 12.48 Hercules