The orbit is still very

Forums Comets C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) The orbit is still very

#578301
Nick James
Participant

The orbit is still very uncertain but all the astrometry to date (a 25 day arc) implies that it is near parabolic with a perihelion at 1.8au at the end of 2022 or early 2023. This is much less interesting than if it had been in a shorter period orbit since it probably means the that the comet is dynamically new. Such comets tend to have significant activity far from the Sun but then the underperform as they move into the inner Solar System. Still, it is worth observing this comet if you have the equipment. It is very well placed and you don’t often get the chance to image comets which are 16au away.