Skip to content
Public Universe
Comet

PANSTARRS

Add to an observing list or journal →

C/2022 H1 (PANSTARRS)

PANSTARRS is a comet in the Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y) orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 7.69 AU to 2,349.85 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 40,471.7 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 26 June 2025.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
9.813 AU
True anomaly
55.55°
Distance from Earth
9.628 AU
As of
25 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 — 9.813 AU from the Sun PANSTARRS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. PANSTARRS is 9.628 AU from Earth today (1.3 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
22h 18m 32s
Declination
-55° 39′ 14″
Constellation
Grus
Distance from Earth
9.63 AU
Elongation from the Sun
97.6° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.

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
1,178.77 AU
Eccentricity
0.9935
Inclination
49.87°
Orbital period
40,471.7 years
Perihelion
7.689 AU
Aphelion
2,349.851 AU
Longitude of ascending node
6.37°
Argument of periapsis
246.33°
Epoch · J2000
2459829.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 2,719.3 LD
6.9873 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.217

Orbit quality

Observations used
74
Data arc
3.06 years
First observed
2 March 2022
Last observed
24 March 2025
Residual RMS
0.43 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
26 June 2025

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
10.2
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 5.8
10.2

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2022 H1

Named

Sources