SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 470P

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.389 carries it from 2.728 AU at perihelion out to 6.196 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 210
Orbital Period · P
9.43 yr
v(q)
21.3 km/s
v(Q)
9.4 km/s
TJ
2.85
Eccentricity · e
0.3886

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 2.728 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 6.196 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.468 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 4.462 AU gives an orbital period of 9.43 yr, or about 3,443 days.

An eccentricity of 0.389 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 8.84° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 21.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.4 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.85, 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 210 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4741 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 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
4.462 AU
Eccentricity
0.3886
Perihelion
2.728 AU
Aphelion
6.195933 AU
Inclination
8.84°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2459293.5
Mean Anomaly
254.92°

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
0.47413
Condition
0
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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