Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is 19h 06m 26s and the Declination is -31° 27’ 58” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is 14.01 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is visible with the help of a telescope havng an aperture of 14 inches (350mm) or more.
- See also C/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet C/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 593,657,652 kilometers, equivalent to 3.968356 Astronomical Units. Light takes 33 minutes and 0.2288 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Fri Jun 9 2023 at a distance of 2.471780 Astronomical Units, or 369,772,985 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) is 14.01.
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/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 25 January 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459605.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99978755 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 89.66001431° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.07376730 AU 459,829,044 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
28,933.06053604 AU 4,328,324,257,705 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
14,468.06715167 AU 2,164,392,043,375 km |
| Orbital period | period |
1,740,299.4222 years 635,644,363.9475 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-May-09 01:58:43 2,460,073.5824 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 213.97315979727° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 94.358527151777° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99973489943° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000057°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 K1 (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/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet C/2020 K1 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Jan 30 | 18h 57m 24s | -30° 04’ 08” | 14.08 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Jan 31 | 18h 58m 33s | -30° 14’ 40” | 14.07 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 01 | 18h 59m 43s | -30° 25’ 17” | 14.06 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 02 | 19h 00m 52s | -30° 35’ 57” | 14.05 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 03 | 19h 02m 03s | -30° 46’ 41” | 14.04 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 04 | 19h 03m 11s | -30° 57’ 29” | 14.04 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 05 | 19h 04m 22s | -31° 08’ 21” | 14.03 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 06 | 19h 05m 31s | -31° 19’ 18” | 14.02 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 07 | 19h 06m 42s | -31° 30’ 19” | 14.01 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 08 | 19h 07m 51s | -31° 41’ 25” | 14.00 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 09 | 19h 09m 02s | -31° 52’ 36” | 13.99 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 10 | 19h 10m 13s | -32° 03’ 51” | 13.98 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 11 | 19h 11m 22s | -32° 15’ 11” | 13.97 | Sagittarius |
| 2023 Feb 12 | 19h 12m 33s | -32° 26’ 39” | 13.96 | Sagittarius |