Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
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 behvior 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.
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the Europe/London timezone.
Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) Orbit Diagram
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) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Sep 19 | 00h 28m 03s | -27° 06’ 52” | 17.20 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 20 | 00h 25m 24s | -26° 47’ 39” | 17.27 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 21 | 00h 22m 53s | -26° 28’ 24” | 17.34 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 22 | 00h 20m 26s | -26° 09’ 10” | 17.41 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 23 | 00h 18m 06s | -25° 49’ 54” | 17.48 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 24 | 00h 15m 50s | -25° 30’ 42” | 17.55 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 25 | 00h 13m 40s | -25° 11’ 32” | 17.62 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 26 | 00h 11m 35s | -24° 52’ 26” | 17.69 | Sculptor |
| 2018 Sep 27 | 00h 09m 34s | -24° 33’ 24” | 17.76 | Cetus |
| 2018 Sep 28 | 00h 07m 40s | -24° 14’ 26” | 17.83 | Cetus |
| 2018 Sep 29 | 00h 05m 49s | -23° 55’ 35” | 17.90 | Cetus |
| 2018 Sep 30 | 00h 04m 05s | -23° 36’ 48” | 17.97 | Cetus |
| 2018 Oct 01 | 00h 02m 24s | -23° 18’ 08” | 18.03 | Cetus |
| 2018 Oct 02 | 00h 00m 47s | -22° 59’ 35” | 18.10 | Cetus |
Distance of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS)
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) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 364P/2018 A2 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 12 May 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457521.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.72232090 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 12.15360140° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.79896400 AU 119,523,313 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.95562103 AU 741,350,356 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.87729251 AU 430,436,834 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4.8800 years 1,782.6843 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Jun-24 13:51:51 2,458,294.0777 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2023-May-12 06:17 2,460,076.7620 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 211.92762953583° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 46.219444566387° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 203.98361678652° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.20194265°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2023-Apr-08 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 0.12071139 AU 18,058,167 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.