Your Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:52  
clear_day Transit: 12:55  
SunsetSet: 20:59 south
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Breakng! newly discovered Supernova 2023ixf in the Pinwheel Galaxy is the closest supernova observed in the latest decade. It can become bright enough to be visible by amateur astronomers. Check out information and detailed finder chart.
Comets » 

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Lupus.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) is 15h 45m 39s and the Declination is -41° 25’ 56” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) is 24.03 (JPL).

15h 45m 39s
-41° 25’ 56”
Lupus
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
24.03

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.

Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Today Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

  • C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2020 N1 (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.

Available Resources

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2020 N1 (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.

Finder chart of C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) in Lupus on May,28 2023
Map showing Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) in Lupus on May, 28 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)
Map showing Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) in Lupus on May, 28 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)
RA: 15h 45m 39s
Dec: -41° 25’ 56”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 1,116,611,723 kilometers, equivalent to 7.464088 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 2 minutes and 4.6158 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

1,116,611,723
7.464088
1 hours, 2 minutes and 4.6158 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 N1 (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.

Chart of the distance of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 N1 (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 N1 (PANSTARRS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Wed Feb 3 2021 at a distance of 1.228071 Astronomical Units, or 183,716,741 kilometers:

Wed Feb 3 2021
183,716,741
1.228071

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 N1 (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.

Chart of the magnitude of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) as a function of time

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 26 November 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459180.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00050582
Orbit inclination i 29.70377211°
Perihelion distance q 1.32069167 AU
197,572,661 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2021-Mar-12 05:28:54
2,459,285.7284 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 186.77272499943°
Longitude of the ascending node node 279.981657563°
Mean anomaly M -0.00077737990858361°
Mean motion n 0.00000739°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 N1 (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!

Orbit Diagram of Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS)
View Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2020 N1 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 N1 (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 N1 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 21 15h 49m 27s -41° 41’ 06” 24.00 Lupus
2023 May 22 15h 48m 55s -41° 39’ 06” 24.00 Lupus
2023 May 23 15h 48m 21s -41° 37’ 01” 24.01 Lupus
2023 May 24 15h 47m 48s -41° 34’ 55” 24.01 Lupus
2023 May 25 15h 47m 17s -41° 32’ 45” 24.02 Lupus
2023 May 26 15h 46m 44s -41° 30’ 33” 24.02 Lupus
2023 May 27 15h 46m 11s -41° 28’ 17” 24.02 Lupus
2023 May 28 15h 45m 39s -41° 25’ 58” 24.03 Lupus
2023 May 29 15h 45m 07s -41° 23’ 35” 24.03 Lupus
2023 May 30 15h 44m 35s -41° 21’ 11” 24.04 Lupus
2023 May 31 15h 44m 03s -41° 18’ 43” 24.04 Lupus
2023 Jun 01 15h 43m 32s -41° 16’ 14” 24.05 Lupus
2023 Jun 02 15h 43m 01s -41° 13’ 41” 24.05 Lupus
2023 Jun 03 15h 42m 30s -41° 11’ 04” 24.05 Lupus