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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 6:43  
clear_day Transit: 12:51  
SunsetSet: 18:59 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA)

Altitude: 33.1°   Azimuth: 273.2°   Direction: West

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote was discovered on September 26, 1983, by the Belgian astronomer Paul Wild. Its name was inspired by the protagonist of the famous novel "Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is a large, elongated, and potentially hazardous asteroid classified as a near-Earth object. Its dimensions are approximately 19 km. Don Quixote's orbit is highly eccentric, and it is classified as a member of the "Damocloids", a group of asteroids with orbits that are similar to that of 153814 (2001 WN5), which is also a potentially hazardous asteroid. Don Quixote has been studied extensively because of its unusual orbit and composition, which suggests that it may have originated from the Kuiper Belt, a region beyond Neptune where many icy bodies are located.

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) is currently in the constellation of Leo. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) is 10h 11m 11s and the Declination is +27° 08’ 45” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) is 22.18 (JPL).

10h 11m 11s
+27° 08’ 45”
Leo
22.18

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 62.8°
Max altitude: 65.7°
Azimuth: 297.1°
  • 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the West direction at an altitude of 33° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

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Available Resources

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) 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 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) in Leo on September,21 2023
Map showing Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) in Leo on September, 21 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA)
Map showing Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) in Leo on September, 21 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA)
RA: 10h 11m 11s
Dec: +27° 08’ 45”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) from Earth is currently 1,170,246,449 kilometers, equivalent to 7.822614 Astronomical Units. Light takes 1 hours, 5 minutes and 3.5220 seconds to travel from Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) and arrive to us.

1,170,246,449
7.822614
1 hours, 5 minutes and 3.5220 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) 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 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) 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 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) to Earth

Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) to Earth happens on Sat Sep 2 1922 at a distance of 0.300023 Astronomical Units, or 44,882,786 kilometers:

Sat Sep 2 1922
44,882,786
0.300023

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

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA), 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 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) as a function of time

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.70805880
Orbit inclination i 31.09252283°
Perihelion distance q 1.24505176 AU
186,257,092 km
Aphelion distance Q 7.28441752 AU
1,089,733,352 km
Semi-major axis a 4.26473464 AU
637,995,222 km
Orbital period period 8.8074 years
3,216.8918 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2027-Feb-26 13:09:03
2,461,463.0480 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 316.59585002982°
Longitude of the ascending node node 349.92742412123°
Mean anomaly M 196.32732855897°
Mean motion n 0.11190927°/day

Visualization of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) 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 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA)
View Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 3552 Don Quixote (1983 SA) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 14 10h 06m 57s +27° 28’ 50” 22.17 Leo
2023 Sep 15 10h 07m 32s +27° 26’ 05” 22.17 Leo
2023 Sep 16 10h 08m 04s +27° 23’ 22” 22.17 Leo
2023 Sep 17 10h 08m 39s +27° 20’ 41” 22.18 Leo
2023 Sep 18 10h 09m 11s +27° 18’ 02” 22.18 Leo
2023 Sep 19 10h 09m 44s +27° 15’ 25” 22.18 Leo
2023 Sep 20 10h 10m 18s +27° 12’ 51” 22.18 Leo
2023 Sep 21 10h 10m 50s +27° 10’ 18” 22.18 Leo
2023 Sep 22 10h 11m 23s +27° 07’ 49” 22.18 Leo
2023 Sep 23 10h 11m 56s +27° 05’ 21” 22.19 Leo
2023 Sep 24 10h 12m 29s +27° 02’ 54” 22.19 Leo
2023 Sep 25 10h 13m 00s +27° 00’ 30” 22.19 Leo
2023 Sep 26 10h 13m 32s +26° 58’ 09” 22.19 Leo
2023 Sep 27 10h 14m 03s +26° 55’ 50” 22.19 Leo