Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Cepheus. The current Right Ascension of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 20h 42m 08s and the Declination is +57° 17’ 34” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 12.30 (JPL) while the latest observed magnitude is 9.4 (COBS).
Summary of key facts about Comet C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the North-North-East direction at an altitude of 26° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is visible with the help of a binocular with a 60-70mm aperture or a small telescope.
- See also C/2022 A2 (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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) available on TheSkyLive:
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.
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/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
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 262,268,064 kilometers, equivalent to 1.753154 Astronomical Units. Light takes 14 minutes and 34.8321 seconds to travel from Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
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.
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 January 2013 and 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:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is 12.30.
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/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.
Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) is circumpolar and transits at 11:24 UTC (altitude: 84.2°)
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet C/2022 A2 (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/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!
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 Feb 02 | 19h 48m 07s | +58° 31’ 31” | 12.24 | Draco |
| 2023 Feb 03 | 19h 56m 14s | +58° 24’ 46” | 12.25 | Cygnus |
| 2023 Feb 04 | 20h 04m 12s | +58° 16’ 41” | 12.26 | Cygnus |
| 2023 Feb 05 | 20h 11m 58s | +58° 07’ 19” | 12.26 | Cygnus |
| 2023 Feb 06 | 20h 19m 36s | +57° 56’ 49” | 12.27 | Cygnus |
| 2023 Feb 07 | 20h 27m 02s | +57° 45’ 15” | 12.28 | Cygnus |
| 2023 Feb 08 | 20h 34m 17s | +57° 32’ 42” | 12.29 | Cygnus |
| 2023 Feb 09 | 20h 41m 21s | +57° 19’ 14” | 12.30 | Cepheus |
| 2023 Feb 10 | 20h 48m 12s | +57° 04’ 58” | 12.31 | Cepheus |
| 2023 Feb 11 | 20h 54m 53s | +56° 49’ 58” | 12.33 | Cepheus |
| 2023 Feb 12 | 21h 01m 23s | +56° 34’ 18” | 12.34 | Cepheus |
| 2023 Feb 13 | 21h 07m 41s | +56° 18’ 06” | 12.35 | Cepheus |
| 2023 Feb 14 | 21h 13m 50s | +56° 01’ 22” | 12.37 | Cepheus |
| 2023 Feb 15 | 21h 19m 46s | +55° 44’ 12” | 12.38 | Cepheus |