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Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 249516 Aretha in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
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 Judenburg, Austria (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/Vienna):
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05 2025 | 07h 31m 13s | +23° 23’ 39” | 21.69 | Gemini |
| Jul 06 2025 | 07h 32m 53s | +23° 21’ 33” | 21.67 | Gemini |
| Jul 07 2025 | 07h 34m 33s | +23° 19’ 25” | 21.66 | Gemini |
| Jul 08 2025 | 07h 36m 13s | +23° 17’ 13” | 21.65 | Gemini |
| Jul 09 2025 | 07h 37m 51s | +23° 14’ 56” | 21.64 | Gemini |
| Jul 10 2025 | 07h 39m 31s | +23° 12’ 36” | 21.62 | Gemini |
| Jul 11 2025 | 07h 41m 11s | +23° 10’ 12” | 21.61 | Gemini |
| Jul 12 2025 | 07h 42m 51s | +23° 07’ 46” | 21.60 | Gemini |
| Jul 13 2025 | 07h 44m 31s | +23° 05’ 15” | 21.58 | Gemini |
| Jul 14 2025 | 07h 46m 10s | +23° 02’ 40” | 21.57 | Gemini |
| Jul 15 2025 | 07h 47m 50s | +23° 00’ 03” | 21.55 | Gemini |
| Jul 16 2025 | 07h 49m 30s | +22° 57’ 22” | 21.54 | Gemini |
| Jul 17 2025 | 07h 51m 10s | +22° 54’ 36” | 21.53 | Gemini |
| Jul 18 2025 | 07h 52m 49s | +22° 51’ 48” | 21.53 | 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.