page_title: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)
hierarchical_section_title: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS)
caption_attribution_description: English: Messier 81 group with comet C/2017 T2, visible to the right, on May 22, 2020. The photo is created by the stacking of 42 60s ISO 800 exposures in DeepSkyStacker. Camera used: Olympus E-PL5. Lens used: Panasonic 45-150mm f/4-5.6 at 150mm f/5.6. The comet appears slightly elongated due to its apparent motion against the deep sky objects.
context_page_description: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) is an Oort cloud comet discovered on 2 October 2017 when it was 9.2 AU from the Sun. The closest approach to Earth was on 28 December 2019 at a distance of 1.52 AU. It came to perihelion on 4 May 2020 when it was safe from disintegration at 1.6 AU from the Sun.
  Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) has brightened to apparent magnitude 8 and is visible with 50mm binoculars. In early June 2020 the comet was near the magnitude 1.8 star Dubhe in Ursa Major.
  JPL Horizons using an epoch 1950 orbit solution models that C/2017 T2 took millions of years to come from the Oort cloud at a distance of roughly 74,000 AU.
context_section_description: C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) is an Oort cloud comet discovered on 2 October 2017 when it was 9.2 AU (1.38 billion km) from the Sun. The closest approach to Earth was on 28 December 2019 at a distance of 1.52 AU (227 million km). It came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on 4 May 2020 when it was safe from disintegration at 1.6 AU from the Sun. (Mars is also roughly 1.6 AU from the Sun.)
  Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) has brightened to apparent magnitude 8 and is visible with 50mm binoculars. In early June 2020 the comet was near the magnitude 1.8 star Dubhe in Ursa Major.
  JPL Horizons using an epoch 1950 orbit solution models that C/2017 T2 took millions of years to come from the Oort cloud at a distance of roughly 74,000 AU (1.2 ly).
caption: C/2017 T2 (right) passing near Messier 81 and Messier 82 on May 22, 2020
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