Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 2018 VG18 in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 2018 VG18
Asteroid 2018 VG18 is in the constellation of Taurus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 2018 VG18 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 VG18 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 VG18 from Atenas, Costa Rica (all times relative to the local timezone America/Costa_Rica):
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 VG18 from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 2018 VG18 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 VG18 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, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of asteroid 2018 VG18 to Earth happened on Friday 1 December 2000 at a distance of 121.116312 Astronomical Units, or 18,118,742,471 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 VG18, 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 VG18 at epoch October, 16 2024 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460600.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.52346298 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 24.11369373° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 39.08626043 AU 5,847,221,346 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
124.95665278 AU 18,693,249,224 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
82.02145661 AU 12,270,235,285 km |
| Orbital period | period |
742.8471 years 271,324.8948 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | March 19, 1695 2,340,223.9794 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | January 28, 2438 2,611,548.8742 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 17.203529495863° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 245.2483380355° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 159.71828695152° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00132682°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 2018 VG18 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 VG18 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 06 2025 | 04h 56m 04s | +18° 37’ 33” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 07 2025 | 04h 56m 06s | +18° 37’ 35” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 08 2025 | 04h 56m 07s | +18° 37’ 36” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 09 2025 | 04h 56m 09s | +18° 37’ 37” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 10 2025 | 04h 56m 11s | +18° 37’ 38” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 11 2025 | 04h 56m 13s | +18° 37’ 39” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 12 2025 | 04h 56m 14s | +18° 37’ 40” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 13 2025 | 04h 56m 16s | +18° 37’ 40” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 14 2025 | 04h 56m 18s | +18° 37’ 40” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 15 2025 | 04h 56m 19s | +18° 37’ 41” | 24.95 | Taurus |
| Jul 16 2025 | 04h 56m 21s | +18° 37’ 42” | 24.96 | Taurus |
| Jul 17 2025 | 04h 56m 23s | +18° 37’ 42” | 24.96 | Taurus |
| Jul 18 2025 | 04h 56m 24s | +18° 37’ 43” | 24.96 | Taurus |
| Jul 19 2025 | 04h 56m 26s | +18° 37’ 43” | 24.96 | Taurus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 2018 VG18: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 2018 VG18?: Key information on where to find asteroid 2018 VG18 in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 2018 VG18 from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 2018 VG18 is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 2018 VG18?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 2018 VG18 from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 2018 VG18's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 2018 VG18's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 2018 VG18's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 2018 VG18 orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 2018 VG18 with respect to the major Solar System objects.