SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 469P

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.312 carries it from 2.984 AU at perihelion out to 5.686 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 80
Orbital Period · P
9.03 yr
v(q)
19.7 km/s
v(Q)
10.4 km/s
TJ
2.83
Eccentricity · e
0.3116

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.984 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 5.686 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.702 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 4.335 AU gives an orbital period of 9.03 yr, or about 3,297 days.

An eccentricity of 0.312 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 20.17° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 19.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.4 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.83, 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 80 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3754 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
4.335 AU
Eccentricity
0.3116
Perihelion
2.984 AU
Aphelion
5.685786 AU
Inclination
20.17°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457212.5
Mean Anomaly
303.93°

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
0.37544
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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