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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:00  
clear_day Transit: 12:48  
SunsetSet: 18:34 south
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Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 10 Hygiea

Altitude: 17.8°   Azimuth: 215.1°   Direction: South-West

Asteroid 10 Hygiea is the fourth largest object in the main asteroid belt, with a diameter of approximately 430 kilometers. It was discovered on April 12, 1849, by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis and named after the Greek goddess of health, Hygieia. Hygiea orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, with a semi-major axis of approximately 3.14 astronomical units (AU) and an orbital period of about 5.56 years. The asteroid has a relatively low eccentricity and inclination compared to other asteroids in the main belt. Hygiea is also classified as a C-type asteroid, meaning it has a dark, carbon-rich surface. In 2019, observations by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) suggested that Hygiea could potentially be reclassified as a dwarf planet, based on its size, shape, and other physical characteristics.

Asteroid 10 Hygiea is currently in the constellation of Aquarius. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 10 Hygiea is 20h 50m 40s and the Declination is -14° 11’ 42” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 10 Hygiea is 10.88 (JPL).

20h 50m 40s
-14° 11’ 42”
Aquarius
10.88

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 10 Hygiea from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 104.2°
Max altitude: 24.3°
Azimuth: 255.8°
  • 10 Hygiea is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 18° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 10 Hygiea is visible with the help of a binocular with a 70-80mm aperture or a small telescope.
  • Go to interactive sky chart

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.

Available Resources

Asteroid 10 Hygiea Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Asteroid 10 Hygiea 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 10 Hygiea in Aquarius on October,02 2023
Map showing Asteroid 10 Hygiea in Aquarius on October, 02 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 10 Hygiea
Map showing Asteroid 10 Hygiea in Aquarius on October, 02 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 10 Hygiea is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

10 Hygiea
RA: 20h 50m 40s
Dec: -14° 11’ 42”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 10 Hygiea
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 10 Hygiea?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 10 Hygiea in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 10 Hygiea Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 10 Hygiea from Earth is currently 368,278,199 kilometers, equivalent to 2.461788 Astronomical Units. Light takes 20 minutes and 28.4438 seconds to travel from Asteroid 10 Hygiea and arrive to us.

368,278,199
2.461788
20 minutes and 28.4438 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 10 Hygiea 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 10 Hygiea 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 10 Hygiea from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 10 Hygiea to Earth

Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 10 Hygiea to Earth happens on Fri May 20 2078 at a distance of 1.747301 Astronomical Units, or 261,392,555 kilometers:

Fri May 20 2078
261,392,555
1.747301

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

Asteroid 10 Hygiea Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 10 Hygiea, 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 10 Hygiea as a function of time

Asteroid 10 Hygiea Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 10 Hygiea at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.11115904
Orbit inclination i 3.83172841°
Perihelion distance q 2.79112158 AU
417,545,845 km
Aphelion distance Q 3.48924060 AU
521,982,965 km
Semi-major axis a 3.14018109 AU
469,764,405 km
Orbital period period 5.5647 years
2,032.4996 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2022-Jul-15 15:50:30
2,459,776.1601 JD
Next perihelion transit 2028-Feb-07 03:49
2,461,808.6597 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 312.4866514797°
Longitude of the ascending node node 283.17317744373°
Mean anomaly M 39.735493038824°
Mean motion n 0.17712181°/day

Visualization of Asteroid 10 Hygiea Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 10 Hygiea with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 10 Hygiea 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 10 Hygiea
View Asteroid 10 Hygiea in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 10 Hygiea Physical Data

The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 10 Hygiea. Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Physical Parameter Value Relative to Earth
Diameter 407.12 km 0.0320
Sideral Rotation 27.6230 hours 1.1541
Absolute Magnitude 5.43
Geometric Albedo 0.0717

Asteroid 10 Hygiea 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 10 Hygiea computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 10 Hygiea in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Sep 25 20h 50m 44s -14° 08’ 52” 10.74 Aquarius
2023 Sep 26 20h 50m 39s -14° 09’ 29” 10.76 Aquarius
2023 Sep 27 20h 50m 35s -14° 10’ 01” 10.77 Aquarius
2023 Sep 28 20h 50m 34s -14° 10’ 30” 10.79 Aquarius
2023 Sep 29 20h 50m 33s -14° 10’ 53” 10.81 Aquarius
2023 Sep 30 20h 50m 33s -14° 11’ 12” 10.83 Aquarius
2023 Oct 01 20h 50m 34s -14° 11’ 26” 10.85 Aquarius
2023 Oct 02 20h 50m 36s -14° 11’ 35” 10.87 Aquarius
2023 Oct 03 20h 50m 40s -14° 11’ 39” 10.88 Aquarius
2023 Oct 04 20h 50m 47s -14° 11’ 39” 10.90 Aquarius
2023 Oct 05 20h 50m 53s -14° 11’ 33” 10.92 Aquarius
2023 Oct 06 20h 51m 02s -14° 11’ 22” 10.94 Aquarius
2023 Oct 07 20h 51m 11s -14° 11’ 08” 10.95 Aquarius
2023 Oct 08 20h 51m 20s -14° 10’ 49” 10.97 Aquarius