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
Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) is circumpolar from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] and transits at 13:50 UTC (altitude: 77.8°)
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 Aug 13 | 11h 44m 25s | +40° 18’ 43” | 15.54 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 14 | 11h 44m 31s | +40° 10’ 09” | 15.55 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 15 | 11h 44m 39s | +40° 01’ 39” | 15.55 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 16 | 11h 44m 48s | +39° 53’ 16” | 15.56 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 17 | 11h 44m 57s | +39° 44’ 58” | 15.56 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 18 | 11h 45m 06s | +39° 36’ 47” | 15.57 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 19 | 11h 45m 15s | +39° 28’ 42” | 15.58 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 20 | 11h 45m 24s | +39° 20’ 44” | 15.58 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 21 | 11h 45m 34s | +39° 12’ 51” | 15.59 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 22 | 11h 45m 46s | +39° 05’ 04” | 15.60 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 23 | 11h 45m 56s | +38° 57’ 24” | 15.60 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 24 | 11h 46m 08s | +38° 49’ 50” | 15.61 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 25 | 11h 46m 19s | +38° 42’ 20” | 15.61 | Ursa Major |
| 2018 Aug 26 | 11h 46m 32s | +38° 34’ 59” | 15.62 | 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 09 August 2017 00:00 UTC (JD: 2457975.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99995693 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 127.20922722° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.72971047 AU 557,956,745 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
173,175.40278837 AU 25,906,671,566,707 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
86,589.56624942 AU 12,953,614,761,726 km |
| Orbital period | period |
25,480,418.0200 years 9,306,722,680.3447 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2018-Feb-18 23:38:43 2,458,168.4852 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2018-Feb-18 23:38 9,309,180,848.8299 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 89.580383460497° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 299.84854861649° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.999992535° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000004°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2018-Apr-05 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 3.23322170 AU 483,683,083 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.