Skip to content
Public Universe
Comet

PANSTARRS

Add to an observing list or journal →

C/2023 H1 (PANSTARRS)

PANSTARRS is a comet in the Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y) orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 4.45 AU to 1,512.93 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 20,898 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 22 October 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
6.984 AU
True anomaly
74.25°
Distance from Earth
6.472 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 — 6.984 AU from the Sun PANSTARRS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. PANSTARRS is 6.472 AU from Earth today (53.8 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
21h 48m 07s
Declination
+05° 07′ 23″
Constellation
Pegasus
Distance from Earth
6.48 AU
Elongation from the Sun
117.13° — 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
758.689 AU
Eccentricity
0.9941
Inclination
21.78°
Orbital period
20,898 years
Perihelion
4.448 AU
Aphelion
1,512.931 AU
Longitude of ascending node
292.65°
Argument of periapsis
333.75°
Epoch · J2000
2460801.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 1,342.0 LD
3.4484 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.432

Orbit quality

Observations used
785
Data arc
3.45 years
First observed
17 April 2023
Last observed
28 September 2026
Residual RMS
0.39 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
22 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
4.8
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 14.3
4.8

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2023 H1

Named

Sources