Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Position
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Draco. The current Right Ascension is 18h 18m 29s and the Declination is +50° 19’ 54”.
Simplified sky chart showing where Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars and constellations (see full screen Online Planetarium)
Field of view: 60x30 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart showing where Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is right now (view fullscreen)
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
The distance of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 1,398,379,183 kilometers, equivalent to 9.347587 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 17 minutes and 44.4909 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 January 2013 and December 2100 the closest approach of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Thu Jul 14 2022 at a distance of 1.80786254 Astronomical Units, or 270,452,388 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is 16.70.
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 behavior 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.
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.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is circumpolar and transits at 05:14 UTC (altitude: 88.9°)
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 25 September 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458387.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00036192 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 87.54444169° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.80616510 AU 270,198,454 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Dec-20 17:30:19 2,459,934.2294 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 236.07179366631° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 88.254740238671° |
| Mean anomaly | M | -0.0043242090399745° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000280°/day |
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!
View Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Mar 31 | 18h 19m 05s | +49° 45’ 15” | 16.74 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 01 | 18h 19m 02s | +49° 49’ 59” | 16.73 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 02 | 18h 18m 59s | +49° 54’ 45” | 16.73 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 03 | 18h 18m 55s | +49° 59’ 30” | 16.72 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 04 | 18h 18m 50s | +50° 04’ 14” | 16.72 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 05 | 18h 18m 45s | +50° 08’ 58” | 16.71 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 06 | 18h 18m 38s | +50° 13’ 41” | 16.71 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 07 | 18h 18m 32s | +50° 18’ 24” | 16.70 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 08 | 18h 18m 24s | +50° 23’ 07” | 16.70 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 09 | 18h 18m 15s | +50° 27’ 47” | 16.69 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 10 | 18h 18m 06s | +50° 32’ 29” | 16.69 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 11 | 18h 17m 57s | +50° 37’ 08” | 16.68 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 12 | 18h 17m 47s | +50° 41’ 45” | 16.68 | Draco |
| 2020 Apr 13 | 18h 17m 35s | +50° 46’ 22” | 16.68 | Draco |