Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Aquila, at a distance of 1,027,430,719 kilometers from Earth.
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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 U5 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the East direction at an altitude of 3° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 1,027,430,719 kilometers, equivalent to 6.867950 Astronomical Units. Light takes 57 minutes and 7.1400 seconds to travel from Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Tue Dec 28 2021 at a distance of 3.393927 Astronomical Units, or 507,724,183 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 10 December 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459559.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99939895 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 97.27158478° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.75596149 AU 561,883,842 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
12,494.31926539 AU 1,869,123,561,696 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
6,249.03761344 AU 934,842,722,769 km |
| Orbital period | period |
494,001.0936 years 180,433,899.4402 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Apr-27 20:53:32 2,459,697.3705 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2323-Jan-06 05:40 182,893,596.8107 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 75.414169356183° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 107.33860027853° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99972492206° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000200°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 19 | 19h 47m 17s | -02° 18’ 47” | 20.32 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 19h 47m 12s | -02° 19’ 33” | 20.32 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 19h 47m 08s | -02° 20’ 21” | 20.32 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 19h 47m 03s | -02° 21’ 11” | 20.32 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 19h 46m 58s | -02° 22’ 04” | 20.32 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 19h 46m 51s | -02° 22’ 56” | 20.32 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 19h 46m 45s | -02° 23’ 53” | 20.31 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 19h 46m 37s | -02° 24’ 51” | 20.31 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 19h 46m 29s | -02° 25’ 51” | 20.31 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 19h 46m 22s | -02° 26’ 53” | 20.31 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 19h 46m 13s | -02° 27’ 57” | 20.31 | Aquila |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 19h 46m 02s | -02° 29’ 04” | 20.31 | Aquila |
| 2024 May 01 | 19h 45m 52s | -02° 30’ 15” | 20.30 | Aquila |
| 2024 May 02 | 19h 45m 42s | -02° 31’ 26” | 20.30 | Aquila |