Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Draco. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is 10h 22m 15s and the Declination is +78° 28’ 56” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is 17.01 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the North-North-East direction at an altitude of 50° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet C/2020 U5 (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 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 515,428,286 kilometers, equivalent to 3.445425 Astronomical Units. Light takes 28 minutes and 39.2837 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 January 2014 and January 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Tue Dec 28 2021 at a distance of 3.393931 Astronomical Units, or 507,724,905 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is 17.01.
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 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) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) is circumpolar and transits at 05:13 UTC (altitude: 63.0°)
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet C/2020 U5 (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 U5 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2020 U5 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 03 May 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459338.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99978050 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 97.27713815° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.75595772 AU 561,883,278 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
34,218.58407037 AU 5,119,027,325,562 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
17,111.17001404 AU 2,559,794,604,420 km |
| Orbital period | period |
2,238,348.7931 years 817,556,896.6723 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Apr-27 19:42:05 2,459,697.3209 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 75.410227203664° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 107.34246944925° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99984199812° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000044°/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Dec 01 | 10h 09m 38s | +75° 13’ 36” | 17.07 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 02 | 10h 11m 08s | +75° 37’ 54” | 17.06 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 03 | 10h 12m 39s | +76° 02’ 18” | 17.05 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 04 | 10h 14m 12s | +76° 26’ 45” | 17.04 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 05 | 10h 15m 47s | +76° 51’ 15” | 17.04 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 06 | 10h 17m 22s | +77° 15’ 48” | 17.03 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 07 | 10h 19m 00s | +77° 40’ 24” | 17.02 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 08 | 10h 20m 38s | +78° 05’ 03” | 17.02 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 09 | 10h 22m 18s | +78° 29’ 42” | 17.01 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 10 | 10h 24m 01s | +78° 54’ 21” | 17.00 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 11 | 10h 25m 45s | +79° 19’ 01” | 17.00 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 12 | 10h 27m 32s | +79° 43’ 42” | 16.99 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 13 | 10h 29m 21s | +80° 08’ 22” | 16.99 | Draco |
| 2021 Dec 14 | 10h 31m 14s | +80° 33’ 02” | 16.98 | Draco |