SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2023 Q2

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.991 carries it from 3.209 AU at perihelion out to 675.2 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 136
Orbital Period · P
6,247 yr
v(q)
23.5 km/s
v(Q)
0.1 km/s
TJ
-0.52
Eccentricity · e
0.9905

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 3.209 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 675.2 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 672.0 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 339.2 AU gives an orbital period of 6,247 yr, or about 2,281,781 days.

The high eccentricity (0.991) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 104.0° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 23.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 0.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = -0.52, 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 136 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4198 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
339.2 AU
Eccentricity
0.9905
Perihelion
3.209 AU
Aphelion
675.1776 AU
Inclination
104.05°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2460220.5
Mean Anomaly
359.96°

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
0.41981
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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