Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Sextans. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is 10h 48m 09s and the Declination is -06° 52’ 28” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is 19.89 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
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.
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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
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 743,178,449 kilometers, equivalent to 4.967841 Astronomical Units. Light takes 41 minutes and 18.9765 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
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.
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 January 2014 and January 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Wed Jun 21 2023 at a distance of 2.803358 Astronomical Units, or 419,376,413 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) is 19.89.
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/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.
Comet C/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (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/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 C5 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 22 March 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459296.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99972919 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 50.78628638° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 3.24139239 AU 484,905,400 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
23,935.24234693 AU 3,580,661,296,969 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
11,969.24186966 AU 1,790,573,101,185 km |
| Orbital period | period |
1,309,508.0331 years 478,297,809.1074 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Feb-10 21:48:31 2,459,986.4087 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 270.91407288283° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 323.69097692253° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99948072701° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000075°/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!
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Dec 01 | 10h 46m 59s | -05° 45’ 17” | 19.99 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 02 | 10h 47m 11s | -05° 53’ 44” | 19.98 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 03 | 10h 47m 21s | -06° 02’ 09” | 19.97 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 04 | 10h 47m 30s | -06° 10’ 36” | 19.96 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 05 | 10h 47m 40s | -06° 19’ 00” | 19.94 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 06 | 10h 47m 48s | -06° 27’ 25” | 19.93 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 07 | 10h 47m 57s | -06° 35’ 52” | 19.92 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 08 | 10h 48m 03s | -06° 44’ 16” | 19.90 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 09 | 10h 48m 10s | -06° 52’ 41” | 19.89 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 10 | 10h 48m 15s | -07° 01’ 04” | 19.88 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 11 | 10h 48m 20s | -07° 09’ 28” | 19.86 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 12 | 10h 48m 24s | -07° 17’ 51” | 19.85 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 13 | 10h 48m 28s | -07° 26’ 12” | 19.84 | Sextans |
| 2021 Dec 14 | 10h 48m 30s | -07° 34’ 33” | 19.82 | Sextans |