SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 M3

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.973 carries it from 4.656 AU at perihelion out to 343.3 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 65
Orbital Period · P
2,295 yr
v(q)
19.4 km/s
v(Q)
0.3 km/s
TJ
0.61
Eccentricity · e
0.9732

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 4.656 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 343.3 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 338.7 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 174.0 AU gives an orbital period of 2,295 yr, or about 838,328 days.

The high eccentricity (0.973) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 77.51° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 19.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.3 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 0.61, 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 65 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2403 arcseconds.

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
174.0 AU
Eccentricity
0.9732
Perihelion
4.656 AU
Aphelion
343.3368 AU
Inclination
77.51°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458055.5
Mean Anomaly
0.08°

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
0.24026
Condition
—
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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