Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is a comet that was discovered on May 21, 2017, by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii. It has a hyperbolic orbit with a high inclination with respect to the ecliptic plane (close to 90°), indicating that it likely originated from the Oort Cloud. Its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, occurred on December 19, 2022, at a distance of 1.8 astronomical units (AU), and it reached its maximum brightness between December 2022 and February 2023. After perihelion, it is slowly becoming fainter as it continues on its journey back to the outer reaches of the solar system.

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Lepus. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is 05h 33m 09s and the Declination is -15° 13’ 51” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is 13.77 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 10.7 (COBS).

The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted 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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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Available Resources

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth?)
• When does Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in the sky from your location.
• Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

Also check out Where is Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 518,274,207 kilometers, equivalent to 3.464449 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 48.7767 seconds to travel from Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2017 K2 (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.

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 C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Thu Jul 14 2022 at a distance of 1.807931 Astronomical Units, or 270,462,659 kilometers:

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2017 K2 (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.

Visualization of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2017 K2 (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!

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2017 K2 (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/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date	Right AscensionR.A.	DeclinationDec.	MagnitudeMag	Constellation
2023 May 31	05h 24m 02s	-16° 44’ 17”	13.67	Lepus
2023 Jun 01	05h 25m 19s	-16° 31’ 02”	13.69	Lepus
2023 Jun 02	05h 26m 35s	-16° 18’ 03”	13.70	Lepus
2023 Jun 03	05h 27m 51s	-16° 05’ 20”	13.71	Lepus
2023 Jun 04	05h 29m 08s	-15° 52’ 49”	13.73	Lepus
2023 Jun 05	05h 30m 23s	-15° 40’ 32”	13.74	Lepus
2023 Jun 06	05h 31m 36s	-15° 28’ 31”	13.76	Lepus
2023 Jun 07	05h 32m 51s	-15° 16’ 41”	13.77	Lepus
2023 Jun 08	05h 34m 04s	-15° 05’ 06”	13.79	Lepus
2023 Jun 09	05h 35m 17s	-14° 53’ 44”	13.80	Lepus
2023 Jun 10	05h 36m 29s	-14° 42’ 34”	13.81	Lepus
2023 Jun 11	05h 37m 41s	-14° 31’ 38”	13.83	Lepus
2023 Jun 12	05h 38m 53s	-14° 20’ 56”	13.84	Lepus
2023 Jun 13	05h 40m 04s	-14° 10’ 24”	13.85	Lepus