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Comet

PANSTARRS

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P/2017 G1 (PANSTARRS)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
12.66 AU
True anomaly
179.61°
Distance from Earth
12.796 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 — 12.66 AU from the Sun PANSTARRS
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. PANSTARRS is 12.796 AU from Earth today (1.8 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
19h 30m 31s
Declination
-19° 38′ 52″
Constellation
Sagittarius
Distance from Earth
12.8 AU
Elongation from the Sun
79.81° — 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
7.641 AU
Eccentricity
0.657
Inclination
3.58°
Orbital period
21.12 years
Perihelion
2.62 AU
Aphelion
12.661 AU
Longitude of ascending node
258.56°
Argument of periapsis
217.57°
Epoch · J2000
2457853.5
Orbit class · JFc
Jupiter-family comet (P < 20 y)
Earth MOID · 637.7 LD
1.6385 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.504

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 6).

Observations used
28
Data arc
116 days
First observed
25 March 2017
Last observed
19 July 2017
Residual RMS
0.26 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
1 February 2024

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
15.7
Total magnitude M₁ · K₁ 6.3
15.7

Discovery & classification

Also known as 2017 G1

Named

Sources