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 18h 05m 01s and the Declination is +35° 08’ 02” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is 15.61 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 14.7 (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]:
- C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 30° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is visible with the help of a telescope havng an aperture of 20 inches (500mm) or more.
- See also C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
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Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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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 1,147,543,592 kilometers, equivalent to 7.670855 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 3 minutes and 47.7934 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 1.807888 Astronomical Units, or 270,456,201 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 15.61.
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
Today's Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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 22 July 2019 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458687.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00037202 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 87.54127832° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.80267078 AU 269,675,710 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 07:51:53 2,459,933.8277 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 236.11670334245° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 88.271068868419° |
| Mean anomaly | M | -0.0036417324637033° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000292°/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Jan 14 | 18h 00m 34s | +35° 02’ 53” | 15.66 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 15 | 18h 01m 10s | +35° 03’ 14” | 15.65 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 16 | 18h 01m 45s | +35° 03’ 41” | 15.65 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 17 | 18h 02m 21s | +35° 04’ 14” | 15.64 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 18 | 18h 02m 56s | +35° 04’ 53” | 15.63 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 19 | 18h 03m 30s | +35° 05’ 38” | 15.63 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 20 | 18h 04m 05s | +35° 06’ 28” | 15.62 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 21 | 18h 04m 40s | +35° 07’ 23” | 15.62 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 22 | 18h 05m 13s | +35° 08’ 25” | 15.61 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 23 | 18h 05m 48s | +35° 09’ 30” | 15.60 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 24 | 18h 06m 20s | +35° 10’ 44” | 15.60 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 25 | 18h 06m 55s | +35° 12’ 02” | 15.59 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 26 | 18h 07m 27s | +35° 13’ 24” | 15.58 | Hercules |
| 2021 Jan 27 | 18h 08m 00s | +35° 14’ 53” | 15.58 | Hercules |