Compute the position of Asteroid 2 Pallas for any date and time between 1 January 1600
and 30 December 2499
and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
Asteroid 2 Pallas is in the constellation of
Hercules,
at a distance of 507,609,880.0 kilometers from Earth.
The current Right Ascension is
16h 30m 39s
and the Declination is +11° 04’ 08”
(apparent coordinates).
The magnitude of Asteroid 2 Pallas is 10.25 (data provided by JPL Horizons).
Map showing Asteroid 2 Pallas in Hercules on September, 20 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
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.
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple
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Finder Charts
Sky map showing Asteroid 2 Pallas in Hercules on September, 20 2024.
Field of view: 10x6 degrees. View in interactive sky chart
High 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.
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 2 Pallas.
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins.
View in deep sky object tracker
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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Earth is currently 507,609,880.0 kilometers,
equivalent to 3.3931624670Astronomical Units.
Light takes
28m 13.204s to travel from Asteroid 2 Pallas and arrive to us.
507,609,880.0
3.3931624670
28m 13.204s
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.
Chart of the distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas 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 2 Pallas from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the
Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
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:
Sat Feb 16 1608
178,594,670
1.193832
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 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.
Chart of the magnitude of Asteroid 2 Pallas as a function of time
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 2 Pallas.
Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Physical Parameter
Value
Relative to Earth
Diameter
545 km
0.0428
Sideral Rotation
7.8132 hours
0.3264
Absolute Magnitude
4.13
Geometric Albedo
0.1587
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.
Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Compute the position of Asteroid 2 Pallas for any date and time between 1 January 1600
and 30 December 2499
and display the results on an interactive star map.
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.
Sky map showing Asteroid 2 Pallas in Hercules on September, 20 2024.
Field of view: 10x6 degrees. View in interactive sky chart
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 2 Pallas.
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins.
View in deep sky object tracker