Pioneer 11 was a space probe launched by NASA in 1973 with the goal of studying the outer Solar System. It was the second spacecraft to flyby Jupiter and the first to visit Saturn. After completing its mission, Pioneer 11 continued to transmit data until 1995, when it became too weak to communicate with Earth. It is currently traveling through space in the direction of the constellation Aquila.
Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of Pioneer 11 in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Pioneer 11
Pioneer 11 is in the constellation of Scutum, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of Pioneer 11 in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of Pioneer 11 against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of Pioneer 11 from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Pioneer 11 from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of Pioneer 11 from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of Pioneer 11 from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2049, the closest approach of Pioneer 11 to Earth happened on Monday 10 June 2013 at a distance of 85.782159 Astronomical Units, or 12,832,828,327 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of Pioneer 11 relative to the other major objects in the Solar System.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Pioneer 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 06 2025 | 18h 58m 27s | -08° 41’ 18” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 07 2025 | 18h 58m 25s | -08° 41’ 21” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 08 2025 | 18h 58m 23s | -08° 41’ 25” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 09 2025 | 18h 58m 21s | -08° 41’ 28” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 10 2025 | 18h 58m 19s | -08° 41’ 32” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 11 2025 | 18h 58m 17s | -08° 41’ 35” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 12 2025 | 18h 58m 15s | -08° 41’ 39” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 13 2025 | 18h 58m 13s | -08° 41’ 43” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 14 2025 | 18h 58m 11s | -08° 41’ 48” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 15 2025 | 18h 58m 09s | -08° 41’ 52” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 16 2025 | 18h 58m 07s | -08° 41’ 56” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 17 2025 | 18h 58m 05s | -08° 42’ 01” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 18 2025 | 18h 58m 03s | -08° 42’ 05” | N.A. | Scutum |
| Jul 19 2025 | 18h 58m 02s | -08° 42’ 10” | N.A. | Scutum |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Pioneer 11: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Pioneer 11?: Key information on where to find Pioneer 11 in the sky.
- Distance of Pioneer 11 from Earth: Find out how far Pioneer 11 is from Earth right now.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of Pioneer 11 from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of Pioneer 11's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of Pioneer 11's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Pioneer 11's computed ephemeris.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of Pioneer 11 with respect to the major Solar System objects.