Asteroid 18 Melpomene
Asteroid 18 Melpomene is in the constellation of
Virgo,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 18 Melpomene is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 18 Melpomene?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 18 Melpomene in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 18 Melpomene from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 18 Melpomene is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 18 Melpomene is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 4 inches (100mm) or more.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 18 Melpomene from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 18 Melpomene 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.
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 18 Melpomene from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 18 Melpomene to Earth happens on Fri Sep 29 1922 at a distance of 0.809306 Astronomical Units, or 121,070,463 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 18 Melpomene, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 18 Melpomene at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.21816766 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 10.13264675° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.79441232 AU 268,440,262 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.79586165 AU 418,254,951 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.29513698 AU 343,347,606 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.4771 years 1,270.0223 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Sep-11 16:10:04 2,460,199.1737 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-Mar-04 16:42 2,461,469.1960 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 228.1817042771° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 150.3585514521° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 303.68404452944° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.28345959°/day |
View Asteroid 18 Melpomene in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 18 Melpomene. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 140.57 km | 0.0110 |
| Sideral Rotation | 11.5700 hours | 0.4834 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 6.51 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.2225 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 18 Melpomene 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 22 | 11h 59m 24s | +09° 53’ 25” | 11.39 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 23 | 11h 59m 30s | +09° 51’ 27” | 11.41 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 24 | 11h 59m 37s | +09° 49’ 19” | 11.42 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 25 | 11h 59m 45s | +09° 47’ 01” | 11.44 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 26 | 11h 59m 55s | +09° 44’ 34” | 11.46 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 27 | 12h 00m 06s | +09° 41’ 58” | 11.47 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 28 | 12h 00m 18s | +09° 39’ 14” | 11.49 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 29 | 12h 00m 31s | +09° 36’ 20” | 11.50 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 30 | 12h 00m 46s | +09° 33’ 18” | 11.52 | Virgo |
| 2025 May 31 | 12h 01m 02s | +09° 30’ 08” | 11.53 | Virgo |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 12h 01m 19s | +09° 26’ 49” | 11.55 | Virgo |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 12h 01m 38s | +09° 23’ 22” | 11.56 | Virgo |
| 2025 Jun 03 | 12h 01m 57s | +09° 19’ 48” | 11.58 | Virgo |
| 2025 Jun 04 | 12h 02m 18s | +09° 16’ 05” | 11.59 | Virgo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 18 Melpomene: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Asteroid 18 Melpomene?: Key information on locating Asteroid 18 Melpomene in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Asteroid 18 Melpomene is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Asteroid 18 Melpomene?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Asteroid 18 Melpomene's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Asteroid 18 Melpomene's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Asteroid 18 Melpomene's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Asteroid 18 Melpomene orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 18 Melpomene with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical Data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 18 Melpomene, such as mass and geometric properties.