SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 S1

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.709 carries it from 2.412 AU at perihelion out to 14.156 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 127
Orbital Period · P
23.8 yr
v(q)
25.1 km/s
v(Q)
4.3 km/s
TJ
0.48
Eccentricity · e
0.7088

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.412 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 14.156 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 11.744 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 8.284 AU gives an orbital period of 23.8 yr, or about 8,709 days.

The high eccentricity (0.709) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 94.69° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 25.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 4.3 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 0.48, 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 127 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4615 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
8.284 AU
Eccentricity
0.7088
Perihelion
2.412 AU
Aphelion
14.155699 AU
Inclination
94.69°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457699.5
Mean Anomaly
354.63°

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
0.46146
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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