Asteroid 2018 AJ
Asteroid 2018 AJ is in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 2018 AJ in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of asteroid 2018 AJ against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of asteroid 2018 AJ from Las Marias, Puerto Rico (all times relative to the local timezone America/Puerto_Rico):
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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of asteroid 2018 AJ from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 2018 AJ from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 2018 AJ from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2013 and December 30, 2100, the closest approach of asteroid 2018 AJ to Earth happened on Wednesday 24 January 2018 at a distance of 0.012035 Astronomical Units, or 1,800,431 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of asteroid 2018 AJ, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of asteroid 2018 AJ at epoch February, 24 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 | March 7, 2023 2,460,011.0523 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | November 15, 2024 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 |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 2018 AJ relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30 2025 | 20h 45m 02s | -20° 41’ 33” | 26.15 | Capricornus |
| Jul 01 2025 | 20h 43m 32s | -20° 43’ 23” | 26.12 | Capricornus |
| Jul 02 2025 | 20h 41m 58s | -20° 45’ 15” | 26.09 | Capricornus |
| Jul 03 2025 | 20h 40m 22s | -20° 47’ 09” | 26.06 | Capricornus |
| Jul 04 2025 | 20h 38m 43s | -20° 49’ 05” | 26.03 | Capricornus |
| Jul 05 2025 | 20h 37m 02s | -20° 51’ 02” | 26.00 | Capricornus |
| Jul 06 2025 | 20h 35m 19s | -20° 52’ 59” | 25.97 | Capricornus |
| Jul 07 2025 | 20h 33m 34s | -20° 54’ 55” | 25.94 | Capricornus |
| Jul 08 2025 | 20h 31m 47s | -20° 56’ 51” | 25.91 | Capricornus |
| Jul 09 2025 | 20h 29m 59s | -20° 58’ 46” | 25.87 | Capricornus |
| Jul 10 2025 | 20h 28m 08s | -21° 00’ 39” | 25.84 | Capricornus |
| Jul 11 2025 | 20h 26m 17s | -21° 02’ 29” | 25.81 | Capricornus |
| Jul 12 2025 | 20h 24m 24s | -21° 04’ 18” | 25.77 | Capricornus |
| Jul 13 2025 | 20h 22m 29s | -21° 06’ 02” | 25.74 | Capricornus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 2018 AJ: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 2018 AJ?: Key information on where to find asteroid 2018 AJ in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 2018 AJ from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 2018 AJ is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 2018 AJ?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 2018 AJ from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 2018 AJ's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 2018 AJ's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 2018 AJ's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 2018 AJ orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 2018 AJ with respect to the major Solar System objects.