Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Comet C/2015 O1 (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
Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) Rise and Set Times
Today's Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the local timezone Europe/London.
Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) Orbit Diagram
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2015 O1 (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 C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Aug 13 | 14.91 | 16h 28m 44s | +22° 57’ 55” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 14 | 14.92 | 16h 27m 46s | +22° 54’ 30” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 15 | 14.92 | 16h 26m 49s | +22° 51’ 02” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 16 | 14.92 | 16h 25m 55s | +22° 47’ 30” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 17 | 14.93 | 16h 25m 01s | +22° 43’ 53” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 18 | 14.93 | 16h 24m 11s | +22° 40’ 12” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 19 | 14.94 | 16h 23m 20s | +22° 36’ 27” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 20 | 14.94 | 16h 22m 31s | +22° 32’ 39” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 21 | 14.94 | 16h 21m 43s | +22° 28’ 46” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 22 | 14.95 | 16h 20m 57s | +22° 24’ 51” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 23 | 14.95 | 16h 20m 12s | +22° 20’ 54” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 24 | 14.95 | 16h 19m 28s | +22° 16’ 55” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 25 | 14.96 | 16h 18m 47s | +22° 12’ 53” | Hercules |
| 2017 Aug 26 | 14.96 | 16h 18m 06s | +22° 08’ 49” | Hercules |
Distance of Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2015 O1 (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 C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS)
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2015 O1 (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 C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 23 December 2016 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457746.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00003250 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 127.21086469° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.73011224 AU 558,016,850 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Feb-18 22:09:42 2,458,168.4234 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 89.567636594474° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 299.84970297225° |
| Mean anomaly | M | -1.0696449791842E-5° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000003°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Apr-05 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 3.23310447 AU 483,665,545 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.