SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2013 P4

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.596 carries it from 5.967 AU at perihelion out to 23.574 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 229
Orbital Period · P
56.8 yr
v(q)
15.4 km/s
v(Q)
3.9 km/s
TJ
3.05
Eccentricity · e
0.5961

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 5.967 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 23.574 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 17.607 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 14.77 AU gives an orbital period of 56.8 yr, or about 20,733 days.

The high eccentricity (0.596) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 4.26° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 15.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 3.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 3.05, a standard discriminator between asteroidal and cometary dynamics.

Size and surface

Neither a measured diameter nor a reliable absolute magnitude is available for PANSTARRS, so its physical size remains unconstrained.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 229 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5395 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 3 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
14.77 AU
Eccentricity
0.5961
Perihelion
5.967 AU
Aphelion
23.574397 AU
Inclination
4.26°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2456851.5
Mean Anomaly
359.47°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
—

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.5395
Condition
3
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

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