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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 4:51  
clear_day Transit: 12:56  
SunsetSet: 21:00 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Comets » 

Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS)

Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Lyra.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) is 19h 14m 05s and the Declination is +41° 26’ 07” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) is 25.67 (JPL).

19h 14m 05s
+41° 26’ 07”
Lyra
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
25.67

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 O3 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Today Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) is circumpolar and transits at 02:48 UTC reaching a maximum altitude of 80.0°.
  • C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the North-North-East direction at an altitude of 5° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2021 O3 (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 O3 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2021 O3 (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 O3 (PANSTARRS) in Lyra on May,29 2023
Map showing Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) in Lyra on May, 29 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS)
Map showing Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) in Lyra on May, 29 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS)
RA: 19h 14m 05s
Dec: +41° 26’ 07”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 804,664,710 kilometers, equivalent to 5.378851 Astronomical Units. Light takes 44 minutes and 44.0726 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

804,664,710
5.378851
44 minutes and 44.0726 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 O3 (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 O3 (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 O3 (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 O3 (PANSTARRS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Mon May 9 2022 at a distance of 0.600773 Astronomical Units, or 89,874,392 kilometers:

Mon May 9 2022
89,874,392
0.600773

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

Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2021 O3 (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 O3 (PANSTARRS) as a function of time

Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 15 May 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459715.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00007718
Orbit inclination i 56.79368901°
Perihelion distance q 0.28736239 AU
42,988,801 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2022-Apr-21 01:05:32
2,459,690.5455 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 299.98768870053°
Longitude of the ascending node node 189.0209122512°
Mean anomaly M 0.00010825333686102°
Mean motion n 0.00000434°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 O3 (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 O3 (PANSTARRS)
View Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2021 O3 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 O3 (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 O3 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 May 22 19h 18m 51s +40° 44’ 21” 25.63 Lyra
2023 May 23 19h 18m 17s +40° 50’ 17” 25.64 Lyra
2023 May 24 19h 17m 42s +40° 56’ 04” 25.64 Lyra
2023 May 25 19h 17m 04s +41° 01’ 44” 25.65 Lyra
2023 May 26 19h 16m 27s +41° 07’ 14” 25.65 Lyra
2023 May 27 19h 15m 50s +41° 12’ 34” 25.65 Lyra
2023 May 28 19h 15m 11s +41° 17’ 47” 25.66 Lyra
2023 May 29 19h 14m 31s +41° 22’ 50” 25.66 Lyra
2023 May 30 19h 13m 51s +41° 27’ 43” 25.67 Lyra
2023 May 31 19h 13m 11s +41° 32’ 29” 25.67 Lyra
2023 Jun 01 19h 12m 29s +41° 37’ 04” 25.68 Lyra
2023 Jun 02 19h 11m 48s +41° 41’ 29” 25.68 Lyra
2023 Jun 03 19h 11m 05s +41° 45’ 45” 25.69 Lyra
2023 Jun 04 19h 10m 23s +41° 49’ 50” 25.69 Lyra