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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:47  
clear_day Transit: 12:50  
SunsetSet: 18:52 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 2016 WF9

Altitude: 3.6°   Azimuth: 238.9°   Direction: West-South-West

Asteroid 2016 WF9 is currently in the constellation of Serpens. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 2016 WF9 is 17h 32m 26s and the Declination is -15° 49’ 27” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 2016 WF9 is 27.40 (JPL).

17h 32m 26s
-15° 49’ 27”
Serpens
27.40

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 2016 WF9 from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 105.8°
Max altitude: 22.7°
Azimuth: 254.2°
  • 2016 WF9 is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the West-South-West direction at an altitude of 4° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 2016 WF9 is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.

Available Resources

Asteroid 2016 WF9 Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Asteroid 2016 WF9 finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.

Finder chart of 2016 WF9 in Serpens on September,24 2023
Map showing Asteroid 2016 WF9 in Serpens on September, 24 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 2016 WF9
Map showing Asteroid 2016 WF9 in Serpens on September, 24 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 2016 WF9 is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

2016 WF9
RA: 17h 32m 26s
Dec: -15° 49’ 27”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 2016 WF9
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 2016 WF9?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 2016 WF9 in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 2016 WF9 Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 2016 WF9 from Earth is currently 680,519,241 kilometers, equivalent to 4.548990 Astronomical Units. Light takes 37 minutes and 49.9678 seconds to travel from Asteroid 2016 WF9 and arrive to us.

680,519,241
4.548990
37 minutes and 49.9678 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 2016 WF9 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.

Chart of the distance of Asteroid 2016 WF9 from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 2016 WF9 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 2016 WF9 to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Asteroid 2016 WF9 to Earth happens on Sun Dec 31 2045 at a distance of 0.139344 Astronomical Units, or 20,845,598 kilometers:

Sun Dec 31 2045
20,845,598
0.139344

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Asteroid 2016 WF9 Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 2016 WF9, 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Asteroid 2016 WF9 as a function of time

Asteroid 2016 WF9 Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 2016 WF9 at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.66431299
Orbit inclination i 15.16506404°
Perihelion distance q 0.95701442 AU
143,167,320 km
Aphelion distance Q 4.74481140 AU
709,813,684 km
Semi-major axis a 2.85091291 AU
426,490,502 km
Orbital period period 4.8138 years
1,758.2246 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2021-Dec-09 05:48:46
2,459,557.7422 JD
Next perihelion transit 2026-Oct-02 11:12
2,461,315.9668 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 342.87609607269°
Longitude of the ascending node node 125.18086260908°
Mean anomaly M 90.655544046444°
Mean motion n 0.20475200°/day

Visualization of Asteroid 2016 WF9 Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 2016 WF9 with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 2016 WF9 and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!

Orbit Diagram of Asteroid 2016 WF9
View Asteroid 2016 WF9 in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 2016 WF9 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 2016 WF9 computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 2016 WF9 in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 17 17h 29m 43s -15° 27’ 57” 27.33 Serpens
2023 Sep 18 17h 30m 01s -15° 30’ 43” 27.34 Serpens
2023 Sep 19 17h 30m 20s -15° 33’ 29” 27.35 Serpens
2023 Sep 20 17h 30m 38s -15° 36’ 14” 27.36 Serpens
2023 Sep 21 17h 31m 00s -15° 38’ 57” 27.36 Serpens
2023 Sep 22 17h 31m 21s -15° 41’ 40” 27.37 Serpens
2023 Sep 23 17h 31m 42s -15° 44’ 22” 27.38 Serpens
2023 Sep 24 17h 32m 04s -15° 47’ 03” 27.39 Serpens
2023 Sep 25 17h 32m 29s -15° 49’ 42” 27.40 Serpens
2023 Sep 26 17h 32m 53s -15° 52’ 22” 27.41 Serpens
2023 Sep 27 17h 33m 16s -15° 55’ 00” 27.41 Serpens
2023 Sep 28 17h 33m 42s -15° 57’ 37” 27.42 Serpens
2023 Sep 29 17h 34m 09s -16° 00’ 11” 27.43 Serpens
2023 Sep 30 17h 34m 36s -16° 02’ 47” 27.44 Serpens