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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:47  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:06 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Octans.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is 20h 52m 23s and the Declination is -77° 47’ 45” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is 16.39 (JPL).

20h 52m 23s
-77° 47’ 45”
Octans
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
16.39

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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Today Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt

  • C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) in Octans on June,03 2023
Map showing Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) in Octans on June, 03 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)
Map showing Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) in Octans on June, 03 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)
RA: 20h 52m 23s
Dec: -77° 47’ 45”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 422,518,453 kilometers, equivalent to 2.824361 Astronomical Units. Light takes 23 minutes and 29.3699 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

422,518,453
2.824361
23 minutes and 29.3699 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Wed Jun 21 2023 at a distance of 2.803363 Astronomical Units, or 419,377,120 kilometers:

Wed Jun 21 2023
419,377,120
2.803363

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

Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 01 January 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459581.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.99932948
Orbit inclination i 50.78557133°
Perihelion distance q 3.24178480 AU
484,964,105 km
Aphelion distance Q 9,666.18320483 AU
1,446,040,428,139 km
Semi-major axis a 4,834.71249482 AU
723,262,696,122 km
Orbital period period 336,174.0466 years
122,787,570.5128 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Feb-11 00:46:57
2,459,986.5326 JD
Next perihelion transit 2303-Jun-09 08:38
125,247,557.0454 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 270.91696497016°
Longitude of the ascending node node 323.69038987062°
Mean anomaly M 359.99881248779°
Mean motion n 0.00000293°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)
View Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 27 21h 02m 40s -77° 29’ 56” 16.38 Octans
2023 May 28 21h 01m 41s -77° 32’ 35” 16.38 Octans
2023 May 29 21h 00m 33s -77° 35’ 12” 16.38 Octans
2023 May 30 20h 59m 21s -77° 37’ 41” 16.38 Octans
2023 May 31 20h 58m 03s -77° 40’ 05” 16.38 Octans
2023 Jun 01 20h 56m 38s -77° 42’ 21” 16.38 Octans
2023 Jun 02 20h 55m 06s -77° 44’ 31” 16.38 Octans
2023 Jun 03 20h 53m 30s -77° 46’ 32” 16.39 Octans
2023 Jun 04 20h 51m 47s -77° 48’ 24” 16.39 Octans
2023 Jun 05 20h 49m 58s -77° 50’ 08” 16.39 Octans
2023 Jun 06 20h 48m 03s -77° 51’ 41” 16.39 Octans
2023 Jun 07 20h 46m 02s -77° 53’ 02” 16.39 Octans
2023 Jun 08 20h 43m 57s -77° 54’ 12” 16.40 Octans
2023 Jun 09 20h 41m 45s -77° 55’ 10” 16.40 Octans