Asteroid 1979 XB
Asteroid 1979 XB is in the constellation of
Cetus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 1979 XB is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.


Also check out Where is Asteroid 1979 XB?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 1979 XB in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 1979 XB from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 1979 XB is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 1979 XB is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 1979 XB from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 1979 XB from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 1979 XB from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 1979 XB to Earth happens on Wed Dec 10 2092 at a distance of 0.062426 Astronomical Units, or 9,338,740 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 1979 XB, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 1979 XB at epoch 13 December 1979 00:00 UTC (JD: 2444221.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.70844951 |
Orbit inclination | i | 24.73412122° |
Perihelion distance | q | 0.64959947 AU 97,178,698 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
3.80657184 AU 569,455,043 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
2.22808566 AU 333,316,871 km |
Orbital period | period |
3.3259 years 1,214.7761 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1980-Jan-29 04:00:26 2,444,267.6670 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 1983-May-27 22:38 2,445,482.4431 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 75.579898280515° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 86.055503094738° |
Mean anomaly | M | 346.31837437011° |
Mean motion | n | 0.29635090°/day |
View Asteroid 1979 XB in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 1979 XB computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 May 20 | 00h 59m 24s | -17° 07’ 49” | 25.25 | Cetus |
2025 May 21 | 01h 00m 21s | -17° 05’ 46” | 25.25 | Cetus |
2025 May 22 | 01h 01m 17s | -17° 03’ 48” | 25.24 | Cetus |
2025 May 23 | 01h 02m 13s | -17° 01’ 57” | 25.24 | Cetus |
2025 May 24 | 01h 03m 09s | -17° 00’ 12” | 25.23 | Cetus |
2025 May 25 | 01h 04m 04s | -16° 58’ 32” | 25.23 | Cetus |
2025 May 26 | 01h 04m 59s | -16° 56’ 59” | 25.22 | Cetus |
2025 May 27 | 01h 05m 54s | -16° 55’ 31” | 25.22 | Cetus |
2025 May 28 | 01h 06m 48s | -16° 54’ 10” | 25.21 | Cetus |
2025 May 29 | 01h 07m 42s | -16° 52’ 55” | 25.21 | Cetus |
2025 May 30 | 01h 08m 36s | -16° 51’ 46” | 25.20 | Cetus |
2025 May 31 | 01h 09m 29s | -16° 50’ 45” | 25.20 | Cetus |
2025 Jun 01 | 01h 10m 22s | -16° 49’ 49” | 25.19 | Cetus |
2025 Jun 02 | 01h 11m 14s | -16° 49’ 00” | 25.18 | Cetus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 1979 XB: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Asteroid 1979 XB?: Key information on locating Asteroid 1979 XB in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Asteroid 1979 XB is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Asteroid 1979 XB?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Asteroid 1979 XB's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Asteroid 1979 XB's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Asteroid 1979 XB's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Asteroid 1979 XB orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 1979 XB with respect to the major Solar System objects.