Asteroid 2 Pallas

2 Pallas is a large asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 28, 1802 and is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, with a diameter of approximately 544 kilometers. It has a highly irregular shape, with a large impact crater on one side that suggests it may have experienced a significant collision in its past. 2 Pallas has a relatively high density compared to other asteroids, indicating that it may be composed of a significant amount of metal or have a differentiated interior. It has a rotation period of about 7.8 hours and an orbital period of 4.6 Earth years. Because of its irregular shape and complex surface features, 2 Pallas is considered a challenging target for spacecraft missions. However, observations from Earth-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope have provided valuable insights into its geology, composition, and history.

Asteroid 2 Pallas is currently in the constellation of Cancer. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 2 Pallas is 09h 02m 29s and the Declination is +08° 19’ 21” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 2 Pallas is 9.02 (JPL).

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

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Available Resources

• Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 2 Pallas?)
• Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 2 Pallas from Earth?)
• When does Asteroid 2 Pallas rise and set?
• Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 2 Pallas?)
• Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 2 Pallas orbital parameters.
• Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 2 Pallas with respect to the major Solar System objects.
• Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 2 Pallas, such as mass and geometric properties.
• 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 2 Pallas for the past and next 7 days.
• Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 2 Pallas in the sky from your location.
• Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 2 Pallas with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 2 Pallas is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

Also check out Where is Asteroid 2 Pallas?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 2 Pallas in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 2 Pallas Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Earth is currently 381,765,449 kilometers, equivalent to 2.551944 Astronomical Units. Light takes 21 minutes and 13.4325 seconds to travel from Asteroid 2 Pallas and arrive to us.

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas 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 2 Pallas from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 2 Pallas to Earth

Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Asteroid 2 Pallas to Earth happens on Sat Feb 16 1608 at a distance of 1.193832 Astronomical Units, or 178,594,670 kilometers:

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

Asteroid 2 Pallas Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 2 Pallas, 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.

Visualization of Asteroid 2 Pallas Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 2 Pallas with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 2 Pallas 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!

Asteroid 2 Pallas 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 2 Pallas computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 2 Pallas in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date	Right AscensionR.A.	DeclinationDec.	MagnitudeMag	Constellation
2023 Jun 02	08h 49m 05s	+07° 51’ 30”	8.97	Cancer
2023 Jun 03	08h 50m 58s	+07° 56’ 03”	8.98	Cancer
2023 Jun 04	08h 52m 53s	+08° 00’ 23”	8.99	Cancer
2023 Jun 05	08h 54m 47s	+08° 04’ 32”	8.99	Cancer
2023 Jun 06	08h 56m 42s	+08° 08’ 30”	9.00	Cancer
2023 Jun 07	08h 58m 36s	+08° 12’ 16”	9.01	Cancer
2023 Jun 08	09h 00m 32s	+08° 15’ 54”	9.01	Cancer
2023 Jun 09	09h 02m 26s	+08° 19’ 19”	9.02	Cancer
2023 Jun 10	09h 04m 22s	+08° 22’ 35”	9.02	Cancer
2023 Jun 11	09h 06m 16s	+08° 25’ 41”	9.03	Cancer
2023 Jun 12	09h 08m 12s	+08° 28’ 36”	9.04	Cancer
2023 Jun 13	09h 10m 08s	+08° 31’ 21”	9.04	Cancer
2023 Jun 14	09h 12m 03s	+08° 33’ 55”	9.05	Cancer
2023 Jun 15	09h 13m 59s	+08° 36’ 20”	9.05	Cancer