We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now and help us to keep this site free and ad-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:52  
clear_day Transit: 11:51  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
Comets » 

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)

Altitude: -51.7°   Azimuth: 1.5°   Direction: North

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is a comet discovered by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) on January 10, 2022. The comet has a parabolic-like and retrograde orbit with a perihelion distance of 1.73 astronomical units (AU). It has reached its maximum brightness in January 2023, during its perihelion passage, and now it is becoming fainter as it is moving away from the sun.

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Aquarius.

The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 22h 36m 29s and the Declination is -13° 12’ 51” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 18.26 (JPL).

22h 36m 29s
-13° 12’ 51”
Aquarius
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
18.26

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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 103.2°
Max altitude: 25.3°
Azimuth: 256.7°
  • C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Comet C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) in Aquarius on December,10 2023
Map showing Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) in Aquarius on December, 10 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
Map showing Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) in Aquarius on December, 10 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
RA: 22h 36m 29s
Dec: -13° 12’ 51”
Deep sky finder chart for Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth

The distance of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 592,205,839 kilometers, equivalent to 3.958652 Astronomical Units. Light takes 32 minutes and 55.3860 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.

592,205,839
3.958652
32 minutes and 55.3860 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Tue Jan 17 2023 at a distance of 1.612790 Astronomical Units, or 241,269,937 kilometers:

Tue Jan 17 2023
241,269,937
1.612790

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

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) as a function of time

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 11 July 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459772.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 1.00052545
Orbit inclination i 108.14817841°
Perihelion distance q 1.73528351 AU
259,594,718 km
Aphelion distance Q n.a.
Semi-major axis a n.a.
Orbital period period n.a.
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Feb-18 06:01:09
2,459,993.7508 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 88.362599362381°
Longitude of the ascending node node 171.58022235331°
Mean anomaly M -0.0011490267918613°
Mean motion n 0.00000519°/day

Visualization of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
View Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Dec 03 22h 34m 26s -12° 37’ 57” 18.06 Aquarius
2023 Dec 04 22h 34m 41s -12° 43’ 18” 18.08 Aquarius
2023 Dec 05 22h 34m 55s -12° 48’ 28” 18.11 Aquarius
2023 Dec 06 22h 35m 12s -12° 53’ 29” 18.14 Aquarius
2023 Dec 07 22h 35m 29s -12° 58’ 18” 18.17 Aquarius
2023 Dec 08 22h 35m 47s -13° 02’ 58” 18.19 Aquarius
2023 Dec 09 22h 36m 05s -13° 07’ 29” 18.22 Aquarius
2023 Dec 10 22h 36m 24s -13° 11’ 52” 18.25 Aquarius
2023 Dec 11 22h 36m 45s -13° 16’ 05” 18.28 Aquarius
2023 Dec 12 22h 37m 05s -13° 20’ 08” 18.30 Aquarius
2023 Dec 13 22h 37m 27s -13° 24’ 02” 18.33 Aquarius
2023 Dec 14 22h 37m 49s -13° 27’ 50” 18.35 Aquarius
2023 Dec 15 22h 38m 12s -13° 31’ 27” 18.38 Aquarius
2023 Dec 16 22h 38m 35s -13° 34’ 58” 18.41 Aquarius