Observers located at equatorial and southern latitudes have the chance to spot a reasonably bright comet after sunset during the second half of July and into August. The comet named PanSTARRS (C/2014 Q1) is now fading but should remain bright enough to be visible with binoculars and small telescopes for sometime to come. Unfortunately, for Northern based observers it's not observable.
Discovery
Comet PanSTARRS was discovered on August 16, 2014 using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) located on the island of Maui in Hawaii. At discovery the comet shone at a feeble magnitude +18.4.
The Pan-STARRS project is in its infancy and eventually it's planned to use an array of four 1.8m astronomical telescopes to survey the sky continuously in the hunt for moving objects. Despite funding problems and only one of the four telescopes currently up and running, the project is producing great results and when more of the telescopes come online, a flurry of asteroid and comet discoveries should occur.
Comet PanSTARRS has a highly eccentric orbit and originates from the Oort Cloud. Its orbital period is approximately 40,000 years.
Location and star chart
Having past perihelion on July 6th, PanSTARRS climbed quickly away from the Sun as it moves from Cancer into Leo. It became visible very low down in the evening twilight sky from about July 15th and passes close to brilliant Venus and bright Jupiter during the following week. At magnitude +6, PanSTARRS is much fainter than the two planets but is visible with binoculars and small scopes. On the evening of July 18th the thin crescent Moon forms a lovely evening grouping with Venus, Jupiter and PanSTARRS.
The comet then climbs higher in the evening sky but at the same time fading as it travels on a southerly path into Sextans. It then briefly cuts a corner of Hydra before entering Crater, back into Hydra and finally to Centaurus where it remains until October.
The finder charts below show the positions of the comet from July 18th to August 8th, 2015.
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2014 Q1) Finder Chart from July 18th to July 26th, 2015 - pdf format
Comet PanSTARRS (C/2014 Q1) Finder Chart from July 25th to August 8th, 2015 - pdf format
C/2014 Q1 (PanSTARRS) Data (at epoch June 27, 2015)
| Name | C/2014 Q1 (PanSTARRS) |
|---|---|
| Type | Comet |
| Discoverer | Pan-STARRS telescope |
| Discovery date | August 16, 2014 |
| Perihelion (AU) | 0.31456 |
| Eccentricity | 0.99969 |
| Orbital period (years) | ~40,000 |
| Inclination (degrees) | 43.1084 |
| Longitude of ascending node (degrees) | 8.7622 |
| Perihelion | July 6th, 2015 |
(C2014/Q1) PanSTARRS Data Table
| Date | Right Ascension | Declination | Mag. | Distance from Earth (AU) | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Jul-2015 | 06h 27m 59s | 33d 57m 08s | 5.0 | 1.297 | Auriga |
| 02-Jul-2015 | 06h 40m 05s | 33d 37m 03s | 4.9 | 1.288 | Auriga |
| 03-Jul-2015 | 06h 52m 13s | 33d 08m 43s | 4.7 | 1.280 | Gemini |
| 04-Jul-2015 | 07h 04m 20s | 32d 31m 50s | 4.6 | 1.271 | Gemini |
| 05-Jul-2015 | 07h 16m 19s | 31d 46m 17s | 4.5 | 1.263 | Gemini |
| 06-Jul-2015 | 07h 28m 04s | 30d 52m 10s | 4.5 | 1.255 | Gemini |
| 07-Jul-2015 | 07h 39m 30s | 29d 49m 56s | 4.5 | 1.247 | Gemini |
| 08-Jul-2015 | 07h 50m 33s | 28d 40m 12s | 4.5 | 1.239 | Gemini |
| 09-Jul-2015 | 08h 01m 09s | 27d 23m 49s | 4.5 | 1.231 | Cancer |
| 10-Jul-2015 | 08h 11m 16s | 26d 01m 44s | 4.6 | 1.223 | Cancer |
| 11-Jul-2015 | 08h 20m 53s | 24d 34m 55s | 4.7 | 1.216 | Cancer |
| 12-Jul-2015 | 08h 30m 02s | 23d 04m 20s | 4.9 | 1.209 | Cancer |
| 13-Jul-2015 | 08h 38m 44s | 21d 30m 51s | 5.0 | 1.203 | Cancer |
| 14-Jul-2015 | 08h 46m 59s | 19d 55m 14s | 5.2 | 1.197 | Cancer |
| 15-Jul-2015 | 08h 54m 50s | 18d 18m 09s | 5.3 | 1.193 | Cancer |
| 16-Jul-2015 | 09h 02m 20s | 16d 40m 09s | 5.5 | 1.189 | Cancer |
| 17-Jul-2015 | 09h 09m 30s | 15d 01m 43s | 5.7 | 1.186 | Cancer |
| 18-Jul-2015 | 09h 16m 22s | 13d 23m 15s | 5.9 | 1.184 | Cancer |
| 19-Jul-2015 | 09h 22m 57s | 11d 45m 06s | 6.0 | 1.183 | Leo |
| 20-Jul-2015 | 09h 29m 19s | 10d 07m 31s | 6.2 | 1.183 | Leo |
| 21-Jul-2015 | 09h 35m 26s | 08d 30m 46s | 6.3 | 1.184 | Leo |
| 22-Jul-2015 | 09h 41m 22s | 06d 55m 02s | 6.5 | 1.186 | Leo |
| 23-Jul-2015 | 09h 47m 08s | 05d 20m 29s | 6.7 | 1.189 | Sextans |
| 24-Jul-2015 | 09h 52m 43s | 03d 47m 17s | 6.8 | 1.192 | Sextans |
| 25-Jul-2015 | 09h 58m 09s | 02d 15m 33s | 7.0 | 1.197 | Sextans |
| 26-Jul-2015 | 10h 03m 28s | 00d 45m 23s | 7.1 | 1.202 | Sextans |
| 27-Jul-2015 | 10h 08m 39s | -00d 43m 09s | 7.3 | 1.208 | Sextans |
| 28-Jul-2015 | 10h 13m 43s | -02d 09m 57s | 7.4 | 1.215 | Sextans |
| 29-Jul-2015 | 10h 18m 40s | -03d 34m 58s | 7.5 | 1.222 | Sextans |
| 30-Jul-2015 | 10h 23m 32s | -04d 58m 10s | 7.7 | 1.230 | Sextans |
| 31-Jul-2015 | 10h 28m 18s | -06d 19m 30s | 7.8 | 1.239 | Sextans |
| 01-Aug-2015 | 10h 32m 60s | -07d 38m 58s | 7.9 | 1.249 | Sextans |
| 02-Aug-2015 | 10h 37m 37s | -08d 56m 32s | 8.0 | 1.259 | Sextans |
| 03-Aug-2015 | 10h 42m 09s | -10d 12m 12s | 8.2 | 1.270 | Sextans |
| 04-Aug-2015 | 10h 46m 37s | -11d 25m 59s | 8.3 | 1.281 | Sextans |
| 05-Aug-2015 | 10h 51m 02s | -12d 37m 52s | 8.4 | 1.293 | Hydra |
| 06-Aug-2015 | 10h 55m 23s | -13d 47m 53s | 8.5 | 1.306 | Crater |
| 07-Aug-2015 | 10h 59m 41s | -14d 56m 03s | 8.6 | 1.319 | Crater |
| 08-Aug-2015 | 11h 03m 55s | -16d 02m 23s | 8.8 | 1.332 | Crater |
| 09-Aug-2015 | 11h 08m 07s | -17d 06m 54s | 8.9 | 1.346 | Crater |
| 10-Aug-2015 | 11h 12m 15s | -18d 09m 40s | 9.0 | 1.361 | Crater |
| 11-Aug-2015 | 11h 16m 21s | -19d 10m 41s | 9.1 | 1.376 | Crater |
| 12-Aug-2015 | 11h 20m 25s | -20d 10m 00s | 9.2 | 1.391 | Crater |
| 13-Aug-2015 | 11h 24m 26s | -21d 07m 40s | 9.3 | 1.406 | Crater |
| 14-Aug-2015 | 11h 28m 25s | -22d 03m 41s | 9.4 | 1.422 | Crater |
| 15-Aug-2015 | 11h 32m 21s | -22d 58m 08s | 9.5 | 1.439 | Crater |
| 16-Aug-2015 | 11h 36m 16s | -23d 51m 02s | 9.6 | 1.455 | Crater |
| 17-Aug-2015 | 11h 40m 08s | -24d 42m 25s | 9.7 | 1.472 | Crater |
| 18-Aug-2015 | 11h 43m 59s | -25d 32m 21s | 9.8 | 1.489 | Hydra |
| 19-Aug-2015 | 11h 47m 47s | -26d 20m 52s | 9.9 | 1.507 | Hydra |
| 20-Aug-2015 | 11h 51m 34s | -27d 07m 59s | 10.0 | 1.524 | Hydra |
| 21-Aug-2015 | 11h 55m 19s | -27d 53m 46s | 10.1 | 1.542 | Hydra |
| 22-Aug-2015 | 11h 59m 03s | -28d 38m 15s | 10.1 | 1.560 | Hydra |
| 23-Aug-2015 | 12h 02m 45s | -29d 21m 28s | 10.2 | 1.579 | Hydra |
| 24-Aug-2015 | 12h 06m 25s | -30d 03m 27s | 10.3 | 1.597 | Hydra |
| 25-Aug-2015 | 12h 10m 04s | -30d 44m 16s | 10.4 | 1.616 | Hydra |
| 26-Aug-2015 | 12h 13m 41s | -31d 23m 55s | 10.5 | 1.635 | Hydra |
| 27-Aug-2015 | 12h 17m 17s | -32d 02m 28s | 10.6 | 1.654 | Hydra |
| 28-Aug-2015 | 12h 20m 52s | -32d 39m 56s | 10.6 | 1.674 | Hydra |
| 29-Aug-2015 | 12h 24m 25s | -33d 16m 21s | 10.7 | 1.693 | Hydra |
| 30-Aug-2015 | 12h 27m 57s | -33d 51m 46s | 10.8 | 1.713 | Centaurus |
| 31-Aug-2015 | 12h 31m 28s | -34d 26m 12s | 10.9 | 1.732 | Centaurus |
| 01-Sep-2015 | 12h 34m 58s | -34d 59m 41s | 11.0 | 1.752 | Centaurus |
| 02-Sep-2015 | 12h 38m 26s | -35d 32m 15s | 11.0 | 1.772 | Centaurus |
| 03-Sep-2015 | 12h 41m 54s | -36d 03m 56s | 11.1 | 1.793 | Centaurus |
| 04-Sep-2015 | 12h 45m 20s | -36d 34m 46s | 11.2 | 1.813 | Centaurus |
| 05-Sep-2015 | 12h 48m 45s | -37d 04m 46s | 11.3 | 1.833 | Centaurus |
| 06-Sep-2015 | 12h 52m 09s | -37d 33m 57s | 11.3 | 1.854 | Centaurus |
| 07-Sep-2015 | 12h 55m 33s | -38d 02m 22s | 11.4 | 1.874 | Centaurus |
| 08-Sep-2015 | 12h 58m 55s | -38d 30m 03s | 11.5 | 1.895 | Centaurus |
| 09-Sep-2015 | 13h 02m 16s | -38d 56m 59s | 11.5 | 1.916 | Centaurus |
| 10-Sep-2015 | 13h 05m 37s | -39d 23m 14s | 11.6 | 1.936 | Centaurus |
| 11-Sep-2015 | 13h 08m 56s | -39d 48m 47s | 11.7 | 1.957 | Centaurus |
| 12-Sep-2015 | 13h 12m 15s | -40d 13m 41s | 11.7 | 1.978 | Centaurus |
| 13-Sep-2015 | 13h 15m 33s | -40d 37m 57s | 11.8 | 1.999 | Centaurus |
| 14-Sep-2015 | 13h 18m 49s | -41d 01m 36s | 11.9 | 2.020 | Centaurus |
| 15-Sep-2015 | 13h 22m 06s | -41d 24m 39s | 11.9 | 2.041 | Centaurus |
| 16-Sep-2015 | 13h 25m 21s | -41d 47m 07s | 12.0 | 2.062 | Centaurus |
| 17-Sep-2015 | 13h 28m 35s | -42d 09m 01s | 12.1 | 2.084 | Centaurus |
| 18-Sep-2015 | 13h 31m 49s | -42d 30m 23s | 12.1 | 2.105 | Centaurus |
| 19-Sep-2015 | 13h 35m 02s | -42d 51m 13s | 12.2 | 2.126 | Centaurus |
| 20-Sep-2015 | 13h 38m 14s | -43d 11m 32s | 12.3 | 2.147 | Centaurus |
| 21-Sep-2015 | 13h 41m 26s | -43d 31m 22s | 12.3 | 2.168 | Centaurus |
| 22-Sep-2015 | 13h 44m 36s | -43d 50m 42s | 12.4 | 2.190 | Centaurus |
| 23-Sep-2015 | 13h 47m 46s | -44d 09m 34s | 12.4 | 2.211 | Centaurus |
| 24-Sep-2015 | 13h 50m 55s | -44d 27m 59s | 12.5 | 2.232 | Centaurus |
| 25-Sep-2015 | 13h 54m 04s | -44d 45m 58s | 12.5 | 2.253 | Centaurus |
| 26-Sep-2015 | 13h 57m 12s | -45d 03m 30s | 12.6 | 2.275 | Centaurus |
| 27-Sep-2015 | 14h 00m 19s | -45d 20m 38s | 12.7 | 2.296 | Centaurus |
| 28-Sep-2015 | 14h 03m 26s | -45d 37m 21s | 12.7 | 2.317 | Centaurus |
| 29-Sep-2015 | 14h 06m 31s | -45d 53m 41s | 12.8 | 2.339 | Centaurus |
| 30-Sep-2015 | 14h 09m 37s | -46d 09m 37s | 12.8 | 2.360 | Centaurus |
| 01-Oct-2015 | 14h 12m 41s | -46d 25m 11s | 12.9 | 2.381 | Centaurus |
| 02-Oct-2015 | 14h 15m 45s | -46d 40m 24s | 12.9 | 2.402 | Centaurus |
| 03-Oct-2015 | 14h 18m 49s | -46d 55m 15s | 13.0 | 2.424 | Lupus |
| 04-Oct-2015 | 14h 21m 51s | -47d 09m 46s | 13.0 | 2.445 | Lupus |
| 05-Oct-2015 | 14h 24m 54s | -47d 23m 57s | 13.1 | 2.466 | Lupus |
| 06-Oct-2015 | 14h 27m 55s | -47d 37m 48s | 13.1 | 2.487 | Lupus |
| 07-Oct-2015 | 14h 30m 56s | -47d 51m 21s | 13.2 | 2.508 | Lupus |
| 08-Oct-2015 | 14h 33m 57s | -48d 04m 35s | 13.2 | 2.529 | Lupus |
| 09-Oct-2015 | 14h 36m 57s | -48d 17m 31s | 13.3 | 2.550 | Lupus |
| 10-Oct-2015 | 14h 39m 56s | -48d 30m 10s | 13.3 | 2.571 | Lupus |
| 11-Oct-2015 | 14h 42m 55s | -48d 42m 32s | 13.4 | 2.592 | Lupus |
| 12-Oct-2015 | 14h 45m 53s | -48d 54m 37s | 13.4 | 2.613 | Lupus |
| 13-Oct-2015 | 14h 48m 51s | -49d 06m 26s | 13.5 | 2.634 | Lupus |
| 14-Oct-2015 | 14h 51m 48s | -49d 18m 00s | 13.5 | 2.655 | Lupus |
| 15-Oct-2015 | 14h 54m 45s | -49d 29m 18s | 13.6 | 2.676 | Lupus |
| 16-Oct-2015 | 14h 57m 41s | -49d 40m 22s | 13.6 | 2.696 | Lupus |
| 17-Oct-2015 | 15h 00m 36s | -49d 51m 10s | 13.6 | 2.717 | Lupus |
| 18-Oct-2015 | 15h 03m 31s | -50d 01m 45s | 13.7 | 2.738 | Lupus |
| 19-Oct-2015 | 15h 06m 26s | -50d 12m 06s | 13.7 | 2.758 | Lupus |
| 20-Oct-2015 | 15h 09m 20s | -50d 22m 13s | 13.8 | 2.779 | Lupus |
| 21-Oct-2015 | 15h 12m 13s | -50d 32m 07s | 13.8 | 2.799 | Lupus |
| 22-Oct-2015 | 15h 15m 06s | -50d 41m 48s | 13.9 | 2.819 | Lupus |
| 23-Oct-2015 | 15h 17m 59s | -50d 51m 16s | 13.9 | 2.839 | Lupus |
| 24-Oct-2015 | 15h 20m 51s | -51d 00m 32s | 13.9 | 2.860 | Lupus |
| 25-Oct-2015 | 15h 23m 42s | -51d 09m 36s | 14.0 | 2.880 | Lupus |
| 26-Oct-2015 | 15h 26m 33s | -51d 18m 29s | 14.0 | 2.900 | Lupus |
| 27-Oct-2015 | 15h 29m 23s | -51d 27m 09s | 14.1 | 2.920 | Norma |
| 28-Oct-2015 | 15h 32m 13s | -51d 35m 38s | 14.1 | 2.939 | Norma |
| 29-Oct-2015 | 15h 35m 02s | -51d 43m 57s | 14.1 | 2.959 | Norma |
| 30-Oct-2015 | 15h 37m 51s | -51d 52m 04s | 14.2 | 2.979 | Norma |
| 31-Oct-2015 | 15h 40m 39s | -52d 00m 01s | 14.2 | 2.999 | Norma |