Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Eridanus. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is 04h 42m 30s and the Declination is -25° 35’ 58” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is 18.91 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/2021 S3 (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 S3 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also C/2021 S3 (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 S3 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet C/2021 S3 (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
View fullscreen
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 1,135,718,750 kilometers, equivalent to 7.591811 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 3 minutes and 8.3500 seconds to travel from Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2021 S3 (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 S3 (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 S3 (PANSTARRS) to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Fri Mar 15 2024 at a distance of 1.296515 Astronomical Units, or 193,955,913 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is 18.91.
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 S3 (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 S3 (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 S3 (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 S3 (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 S3 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 17 October 2021 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459505.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99960603 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 58.55225288° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.31788231 AU 197,152,388 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
6,688.97130376 AU 1,000,655,866,223 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3,345.14459304 AU 500,426,509,305 km |
| Orbital period | period |
193,477.5345 years 70,667,669.4650 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Feb-14 20:50:59 2,460,355.3687 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 6.9237307191325° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 215.65772097227° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99567054145° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000509°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2021 S3 (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 S3 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2021 S3 (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 S3 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 Jan 14 | 04h 45m 03s | -25° 54’ 03” | 18.93 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 15 | 04h 44m 42s | -25° 51’ 55” | 18.93 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 16 | 04h 44m 21s | -25° 49’ 41” | 18.92 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 17 | 04h 43m 59s | -25° 47’ 21” | 18.92 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 18 | 04h 43m 39s | -25° 44’ 57” | 18.92 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 19 | 04h 43m 18s | -25° 42’ 28” | 18.91 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 20 | 04h 42m 57s | -25° 39’ 53” | 18.91 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 21 | 04h 42m 38s | -25° 37’ 14” | 18.91 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 22 | 04h 42m 20s | -25° 34’ 31” | 18.91 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 23 | 04h 42m 02s | -25° 31’ 42” | 18.90 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 24 | 04h 41m 44s | -25° 28’ 50” | 18.90 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 25 | 04h 41m 26s | -25° 25’ 54” | 18.90 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 26 | 04h 41m 08s | -25° 22’ 51” | 18.89 | Eridanus |
| 2022 Jan 27 | 04h 40m 53s | -25° 19’ 46” | 18.89 | Eridanus |