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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:52  
clear_day Transit: 11:51  
SunsetSet: 15:49 south
sleep NighttimeWhat's Visible Now?
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 2018 AJ

Altitude: -43.5°   Azimuth: 292.9°   Direction: West-North-West

Asteroid 2018 AJ is currently in the constellation of Sagittarius.

The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 2018 AJ is 19h 33m 51s and the Declination is -21° 18’ 16” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 2018 AJ is 28.80 (JPL).

19h 33m 51s
-21° 18’ 16”
Sagittarius
28.80

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 2018 AJ from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 111.4°
Max altitude: 17.2°
Azimuth: 248.7°
  • 2018 AJ is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 2018 AJ 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 2018 AJ Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Asteroid 2018 AJ 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 2018 AJ in Sagittarius on December,10 2023
Map showing Asteroid 2018 AJ in Sagittarius on December, 10 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 2018 AJ
Map showing Asteroid 2018 AJ in Sagittarius on December, 10 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 2018 AJ is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

2018 AJ
RA: 19h 33m 51s
Dec: -21° 18’ 16”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 2018 AJ
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 2018 AJ?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 2018 AJ in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 2018 AJ Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 2018 AJ from Earth is currently 386,413,059 kilometers, equivalent to 2.583012 Astronomical Units. Light takes 21 minutes and 28.9352 seconds to travel from Asteroid 2018 AJ and arrive to us.

386,413,059
2.583012
21 minutes and 28.9352 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 2018 AJ 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 2018 AJ 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 2018 AJ from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 2018 AJ to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Asteroid 2018 AJ to Earth happens on Wed Jan 24 2018 at a distance of 0.012035 Astronomical Units, or 1,800,431 kilometers:

Wed Jan 24 2018
1,800,431
0.012035

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

Asteroid 2018 AJ Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 2018 AJ, 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 2018 AJ as a function of time

Asteroid 2018 AJ Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 2018 AJ at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.30625311
Orbit inclination i 5.66603619°
Perihelion distance q 0.98565522 AU
147,451,922 km
Aphelion distance Q 1.85588610 AU
277,636,609 km
Semi-major axis a 1.42077066 AU
212,544,265 km
Orbital period period 1.6935 years
618.5637 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Mar-07 13:15:21
2,460,011.0523 JD
Next perihelion transit 2024-Nov-15 02:47
2,460,629.6160 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 195.43799502679°
Longitude of the ascending node node 303.58554643684°
Mean anomaly M 353.85861252348°
Mean motion n 0.58199346°/day

Visualization of Asteroid 2018 AJ Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 2018 AJ with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 2018 AJ 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 2018 AJ
View Asteroid 2018 AJ in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 2018 AJ 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 2018 AJ computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 2018 AJ in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Dec 03 19h 15m 11s -22° 06’ 52” 28.79 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 04 19h 17m 33s -22° 01’ 10” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 05 19h 19m 54s -21° 55’ 22” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 06 19h 22m 14s -21° 49’ 26” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 07 19h 24m 34s -21° 43’ 23” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 08 19h 26m 56s -21° 37’ 13” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 09 19h 29m 16s -21° 30’ 56” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 10 19h 31m 36s -21° 24’ 32” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 11 19h 33m 56s -21° 18’ 01” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 12 19h 36m 15s -21° 11’ 22” 28.80 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 13 19h 38m 35s -21° 04’ 37” 28.79 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 14 19h 40m 54s -20° 57’ 46” 28.79 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 15 19h 43m 14s -20° 50’ 47” 28.79 Sagittarius
2023 Dec 16 19h 45m 33s -20° 43’ 41” 28.79 Sagittarius