Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS)
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is currently in the constellation of Cygnus, at a distance of 226,992,761 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/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the East-North-East direction at an altitude of 36° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 6 inches (150mm) or more.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet C/2021 S3 (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/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 226,992,761 kilometers, equivalent to 1.517353 Astronomical Units. Light takes 12 minutes and 37.1663 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 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) to Earth happens on Fri Mar 15 2024 at a distance of 1.297933 Astronomical Units, or 194,167,957 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) Brightness and Light Curve
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) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) at epoch 27 September 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459850.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.99990918 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 58.53533581° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.31952176 AU 197,397,646 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
29,057.43050524 AU 4,346,929,740,314 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
14,529.37501350 AU 2,173,563,568,980 km |
| Orbital period | period |
1,751,372.8071 years 639,688,917.8025 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Feb-14 18:17:22 2,460,355.2621 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 4214-Jul-12 16:13 642,149,273.0646 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 6.8874262186992° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 215.62759532093° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.99971593326° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000056°/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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 21 | 20h 05m 12s | +36° 51’ 28” | 8.17 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 20h 06m 43s | +37° 30’ 48” | 8.21 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 20h 08m 13s | +38° 09’ 34” | 8.24 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 20h 09m 42s | +38° 47’ 48” | 8.27 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 25 | 20h 11m 08s | +39° 25’ 27” | 8.31 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 26 | 20h 12m 32s | +40° 02’ 32” | 8.34 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 27 | 20h 13m 54s | +40° 39’ 05” | 8.38 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 28 | 20h 15m 12s | +41° 15’ 05” | 8.41 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 29 | 20h 16m 31s | +41° 50’ 31” | 8.44 | Cygnus |
| 2024 Apr 30 | 20h 17m 45s | +42° 25’ 26” | 8.48 | Cygnus |
| 2024 May 01 | 20h 18m 59s | +42° 59’ 48” | 8.51 | Cygnus |
| 2024 May 02 | 20h 20m 09s | +43° 33’ 38” | 8.55 | Cygnus |
| 2024 May 03 | 20h 21m 19s | +44° 06’ 55” | 8.58 | Cygnus |
| 2024 May 04 | 20h 22m 26s | +44° 39’ 41” | 8.62 | Cygnus |