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 in the constellation of
Taurus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High 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.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Thu Jul 14 2022 at a distance of 1.807997 Astronomical Units, or 270,472,476 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 03 June 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459369.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00056078 |
Orbit inclination | i | 87.55243451° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.79758614 AU 268,915,059 km |
Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
Orbital period | period | n.a. |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Dec-19 18:20:10 2,459,933.2640 JD |
Argument of perihelion | peri | 236.18815747° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 88.24466059559° |
Mean anomaly | M | -0.0030616420406343° |
Mean motion | n | 0.00000543°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 05 | 05h 28m 42s | +22° 23’ 35” | 16.95 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 06 | 05h 28m 22s | +22° 25’ 22” | 16.96 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 07 | 05h 28m 04s | +22° 27’ 10” | 16.97 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 08 | 05h 27m 46s | +22° 28’ 58” | 16.98 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 09 | 05h 27m 28s | +22° 30’ 45” | 16.98 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 10 | 05h 27m 11s | +22° 32’ 32” | 16.99 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 11 | 05h 26m 54s | +22° 34’ 19” | 17.00 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 12 | 05h 26m 38s | +22° 36’ 04” | 17.01 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 13 | 05h 26m 23s | +22° 37’ 51” | 17.02 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 14 | 05h 26m 08s | +22° 39’ 36” | 17.03 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 15 | 05h 25m 54s | +22° 41’ 22” | 17.03 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 16 | 05h 25m 41s | +22° 43’ 06” | 17.04 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 17 | 05h 25m 28s | +22° 44’ 52” | 17.05 | Taurus |
2025 Feb 18 | 05h 25m 16s | +22° 46’ 36” | 17.06 | Taurus |
Additional 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.