Asteroid 249516 Aretha
Asteroid 249516 Aretha is in the constellation of Gemini, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 249516 Aretha 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 249516 Aretha 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 249516 Aretha from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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 249516 Aretha from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 249516 Aretha 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 249516 Aretha 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 249516 Aretha to Earth happened on Monday 27 January 2020 at a distance of 2.012692 Astronomical Units, or 301,094,440 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 249516 Aretha, 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 249516 Aretha at epoch February, 24 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.05430127 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.41367869° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.99212797 AU 447,615,973 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.33573921 AU 499,019,485 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
3.16393359 AU 473,317,729 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.6279 years 2,055.6041 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | August 23, 2025 2,460,911.0068 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 21.49032476204° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 101.55526116759° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 200.54202324693° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.17513100°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 249516 Aretha 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 249516 Aretha 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 21 2025 | 07h 07m 56s | +23° 46’ 08” | 21.82 | Gemini |
| Jun 22 2025 | 07h 09m 36s | +23° 44’ 57” | 21.81 | Gemini |
| Jun 23 2025 | 07h 11m 15s | +23° 43’ 42” | 21.80 | Gemini |
| Jun 24 2025 | 07h 12m 55s | +23° 42’ 23” | 21.79 | Gemini |
| Jun 25 2025 | 07h 14m 34s | +23° 41’ 01” | 21.79 | Gemini |
| Jun 26 2025 | 07h 16m 14s | +23° 39’ 34” | 21.78 | Gemini |
| Jun 27 2025 | 07h 17m 54s | +23° 38’ 04” | 21.77 | Gemini |
| Jun 28 2025 | 07h 19m 34s | +23° 36’ 29” | 21.76 | Gemini |
| Jun 29 2025 | 07h 21m 13s | +23° 34’ 51” | 21.75 | Gemini |
| Jun 30 2025 | 07h 22m 53s | +23° 33’ 08” | 21.74 | Gemini |
| Jul 01 2025 | 07h 24m 33s | +23° 31’ 22” | 21.73 | Gemini |
| Jul 02 2025 | 07h 26m 13s | +23° 29’ 32” | 21.72 | Gemini |
| Jul 03 2025 | 07h 27m 53s | +23° 27’ 38” | 21.71 | Gemini |
| Jul 04 2025 | 07h 29m 33s | +23° 25’ 40” | 21.70 | Gemini |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 249516 Aretha: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 249516 Aretha?: Key information on where to find asteroid 249516 Aretha in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 249516 Aretha from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 249516 Aretha is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 249516 Aretha?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 249516 Aretha from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 249516 Aretha's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 249516 Aretha's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 249516 Aretha's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 249516 Aretha orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 249516 Aretha with respect to the major Solar System objects.