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
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 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 Europe/London timezone.
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 | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Dec 05 | 11h 55m 53s | +36° 24’ 18” | 15.79 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 06 | 11h 55m 26s | +36° 29’ 57” | 15.79 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 07 | 11h 54m 57s | +36° 35’ 45” | 15.79 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 08 | 11h 54m 29s | +36° 41’ 43” | 15.79 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 09 | 11h 53m 58s | +36° 47’ 47” | 15.78 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 10 | 11h 53m 26s | +36° 53’ 58” | 15.78 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 11 | 11h 52m 54s | +37° 00’ 19” | 15.78 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 12 | 11h 52m 19s | +37° 06’ 46” | 15.78 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 13 | 11h 51m 43s | +37° 13’ 19” | 15.77 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 14 | 11h 51m 06s | +37° 20’ 00” | 15.77 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 15 | 11h 50m 27s | +37° 26’ 48” | 15.77 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 16 | 11h 49m 48s | +37° 33’ 43” | 15.77 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 17 | 11h 49m 06s | +37° 40’ 45” | 15.76 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Dec 18 | 11h 48m 24s | +37° 47’ 53” | 15.76 | Ursa Major |
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 28 September 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458025.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99999165 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 127.20990505° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.72968372 AU 557,952,743 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
892,966.34324295 AU 133,585,863,823,801 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
446,485.03646333 AU 66,793,210,888,272 km |
| Orbital period | period |
298,344,863.3900 years 108,970,461,355.0036 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Feb-18 23:47:22 2,458,168.4912 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Feb-18 23:47 108,972,919,523.4948 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 89.582750871659° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 299.8499510202° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99999952761° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000000°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Apr-05 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 3.23321377 AU 483,681,896 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.