SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 476P

PANSTARRS

PANSTARRS follows a distinctly cometary orbit: an eccentricity of 0.348 carries it from 3.099 AU at perihelion out to 6.413 AU at aphelion.

comet Observations: 97
Orbital Period · P
10.4 yr
v(q)
19.6 km/s
v(Q)
9.5 km/s
TJ
2.79
Eccentricity · e
0.3483

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 3.099 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 6.413 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.314 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 4.756 AU gives an orbital period of 10.4 yr, or about 3,788 days.

An eccentricity of 0.348 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 18.86° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 19.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.5 km/s at aphelion.

Its Tisserand parameter with respect to Jupiter is T_J = 2.79, 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 97 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6268 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
4.756 AU
Eccentricity
0.3483
Perihelion
3.099 AU
Aphelion
6.412515 AU
Inclination
18.86°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458822.5
Mean Anomaly
189.07°

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
0.62679
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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