Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is a comet that was discovered on May 21, 2017, by the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii. It has a hyperbolic orbit with a high inclination with respect to the ecliptic plane (close to 90°), indicating that it likely originated from the Oort Cloud. Its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion, occurred on December 19, 2022, at a distance of 1.8 astronomical units (AU), and it reached its maximum brightness between December 2022 and February 2023. After perihelion, it is slowly becoming fainter as it continues on its journey back to the outer reaches of the solar system.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Orion, at a distance of 974,202,996 kilometers from Earth.
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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/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is currently 974,202,996 kilometers, equivalent to 6.512145 Astronomical Units. Light takes 54 minutes and 9.5914 seconds to travel from Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet C/2017 K2 (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/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Thu Jul 14 2022 at a distance of 1.807931 Astronomical Units, or 270,462,659 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet C/2017 K2 (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/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 01 December 2020 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459185.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00046434 |
Orbit inclination | i | 87.54752167° |
Perihelion distance | q | 1.79829497 AU 269,021,099 km |
Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
Orbital period | period | n.a. |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2022-Dec-19 20:27:10 2,459,933.3522 JD |
Argument of perihelion | peri | 236.17888853639° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 88.254199839145° |
Mean anomaly | M | -0.0030583294514882° |
Mean motion | n | 0.00000409°/day |
Visualization of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet C/2017 K2 (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/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet C/2017 K2 (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/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 May 01 | 05h 23m 36s | +12° 10’ 20” | 16.51 | Orion |
2024 May 02 | 05h 24m 06s | +12° 14’ 56” | 16.52 | Orion |
2024 May 03 | 05h 24m 38s | +12° 19’ 28” | 16.53 | Orion |
2024 May 04 | 05h 25m 09s | +12° 23’ 58” | 16.54 | Orion |
2024 May 05 | 05h 25m 40s | +12° 28’ 26” | 16.55 | Orion |
2024 May 06 | 05h 26m 11s | +12° 32’ 49” | 16.56 | Orion |
2024 May 07 | 05h 26m 43s | +12° 37’ 11” | 16.57 | Orion |
2024 May 08 | 05h 27m 15s | +12° 41’ 30” | 16.58 | Orion |
2024 May 09 | 05h 27m 47s | +12° 45’ 46” | 16.58 | Orion |
2024 May 10 | 05h 28m 18s | +12° 49’ 59” | 16.59 | Orion |
2024 May 11 | 05h 28m 50s | +12° 54’ 10” | 16.60 | Orion |
2024 May 12 | 05h 29m 24s | +12° 58’ 17” | 16.61 | Orion |
2024 May 13 | 05h 29m 56s | +13° 02’ 21” | 16.62 | Orion |
2024 May 14 | 05h 30m 29s | +13° 06’ 24” | 16.63 | Orion |