Skip to content
Public Universe
Comet

PANSTARRS

Add to an observing list or journal →

C/2017 G3 (PANSTARRS)

PANSTARRS is a comet in the Comet orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 2.59 AU to 576.8 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 4,930.8 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 15 April 2021.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
22.724 AU
True anomaly
141.26°
Distance from Earth
21.94 AU
As of
24 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Sun Earth — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth PANSTARRS — 22.724 AU from the Sun PANSTARRS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. PANSTARRS is 21.94 AU from Earth today (3.0 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
04h 34m 23s
Declination
+09° 46′ 54″
Constellation
Taurus
Distance from Earth
21.93 AU
Elongation from the Sun
142.16° — well clear of the Sun

Visible from both hemispheres.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
289.695 AU
Eccentricity
0.9911
Inclination
159.05°
Orbital period
4,930.8 years
Perihelion
2.59 AU
Aphelion
576.799 AU
Longitude of ascending node
279.47°
Argument of periapsis
73.1°
Epoch · J2000
2457899.5
Orbit class · COM
Comet
Earth MOID · 653.7 LD
1.6798 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
-1.842

Orbit quality

Observations used
155
Data arc
343 days
First observed
7 April 2017
Last observed
16 March 2018
Residual RMS
0.39 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
14.5
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 9.3
14.5

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2017 G3

Named

Sources