Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Hercules. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is 17h 13m 37s and the Declination is +39° 57’ 00” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is 16.07 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 15.2 (COBS).

Summary of key facts about Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:

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Additional information about Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:

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?)
• Rise and set times (see also 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 1,236,970,236 kilometers, equivalent to 8.268635 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 8 minutes and 46.0886 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 1.807904 Astronomical Units, or 270,458,528 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 16.07.

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

Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is circumpolar and transits at 15:07 UTC (altitude: 78.5°)

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.

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
2020 Oct 15	17h 10m 40s	+40° 53’ 15”	16.10	Hercules
2020 Oct 16	17h 11m 00s	+40° 45’ 57”	16.09	Hercules
2020 Oct 17	17h 11m 22s	+40° 38’ 43”	16.09	Hercules
2020 Oct 18	17h 11m 44s	+40° 31’ 32”	16.09	Hercules
2020 Oct 19	17h 12m 06s	+40° 24’ 23”	16.08	Hercules
2020 Oct 20	17h 12m 29s	+40° 17’ 17”	16.08	Hercules
2020 Oct 21	17h 12m 52s	+40° 10’ 17”	16.08	Hercules
2020 Oct 22	17h 13m 15s	+40° 03’ 19”	16.08	Hercules
2020 Oct 23	17h 13m 40s	+39° 56’ 23”	16.07	Hercules
2020 Oct 24	17h 14m 04s	+39° 49’ 32”	16.07	Hercules
2020 Oct 25	17h 14m 30s	+39° 42’ 46”	16.07	Hercules
2020 Oct 26	17h 14m 54s	+39° 36’ 02”	16.06	Hercules
2020 Oct 27	17h 15m 20s	+39° 29’ 21”	16.06	Hercules
2020 Oct 28	17h 15m 47s	+39° 22’ 45”	16.06	Hercules