SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2014 W11

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.65 carries it from 3.427 AU at perihelion out to 16.167 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 1,038
Orbital Period · P
30.7 yr
v(q)
20.7 km/s
v(Q)
4.4 km/s
TJ
2.56
Eccentricity · e
0.6502

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 3.427 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 16.167 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 12.74 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 9.797 AU gives an orbital period of 30.7 yr, or about 11,200 days.

The high eccentricity (0.65) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 12.71° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 20.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 4.4 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.56, 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 1,038 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4391 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
9.797 AU
Eccentricity
0.6502
Perihelion
3.427 AU
Aphelion
16.167009 AU
Inclination
12.71°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457174.5
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
0.43914
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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