SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2014 OG392

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.182 carries it from 9.969 AU at perihelion out to 14.409 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 369
Orbital Period · P
42.6 yr
v(q)
10.3 km/s
v(Q)
7.1 km/s
TJ
3.4
Eccentricity · e
0.182

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 9.969 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 14.409 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 4.44 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 12.19 AU gives an orbital period of 42.6 yr, or about 15,545 days.

An eccentricity of 0.182 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 9.04° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 10.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 7.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 3.4, 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 369 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2978 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 2 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
12.19 AU
Eccentricity
0.182
Perihelion
9.969 AU
Aphelion
14.40858 AU
Inclination
9.04°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458713.5
Mean Anomaly
340.62°

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
0.29775
Condition
2
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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