Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) was discovered on May 17, 2020, by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). It is a comet that originates from the Oort cloud, a region of icy objects beyond the orbit of Neptune. The comet's orbit is parabolic-like, almost perpendicular to the ecliptic plane, the plane in which the planets orbit the Sun. The comet will reach its closest point to the Sun, known as perihelion, on May 9, 2023, when it will be at a distance of 3.07 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. On July 9, 2023, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth, at a distance of 2.47 AU. Between April and August 2023, the comet will be at its brightest and then it will gradually become dimmer as it moves away from the inner solar system.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is in the constellation of Canis Majoris, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial 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
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happened on Friday 9 June 2023 at a distance of 2.471775 Astronomical Units, or 369,772,260 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS), i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) at epoch May, 31 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459731.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99989931 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 89.66233387° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.07351960 AU 459,791,988 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
61,046.71402184 AU 9,132,458,449,213 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
30,524.89377072 AU 4,566,459,120,600 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5,333,219.3251 years 1,947,958,358.4844 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | May 9, 2023 2,460,073.5701 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | March 10, 5335352 1,950,418,432.0544 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 213.97716344292° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 94.356541258613° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99993678241° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000018°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of comet C/2020 K1 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 2025 | 06h 18m 30s | -17° 13’ 11” | 18.29 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 06 2025 | 06h 18m 59s | -17° 11’ 59” | 18.30 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 07 2025 | 06h 19m 28s | -17° 10’ 52” | 18.30 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 08 2025 | 06h 19m 57s | -17° 09’ 50” | 18.31 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 09 2025 | 06h 20m 26s | -17° 08’ 51” | 18.31 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 10 2025 | 06h 20m 54s | -17° 07’ 58” | 18.31 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 11 2025 | 06h 21m 23s | -17° 07’ 09” | 18.32 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 12 2025 | 06h 21m 51s | -17° 06’ 23” | 18.32 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 13 2025 | 06h 22m 19s | -17° 05’ 42” | 18.32 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 14 2025 | 06h 22m 47s | -17° 05’ 04” | 18.33 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 15 2025 | 06h 23m 15s | -17° 04’ 31” | 18.33 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 16 2025 | 06h 23m 43s | -17° 04’ 02” | 18.33 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 17 2025 | 06h 24m 10s | -17° 03’ 38” | 18.33 | Canis Majoris |
| Jul 18 2025 | 06h 24m 38s | -17° 03’ 17” | 18.34 | Canis Majoris |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)?: Key information on where to find comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) in the sky.
- Distance of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth: Find out how far comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)'s position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) with respect to the major Solar System objects.