Asteroid 16 Psyche
Asteroid 16 Psyche is currently in the constellation of Leo. The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 16 Psyche is 10h 40m 00s and the Declination is +09° 58’ 59” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current magnitude of Asteroid 16 Psyche is 12.03 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Asteroid 16 Psyche [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 16 Psyche is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- It is visible looking in the East direction at an altitude of 5° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 16 Psyche is visible with the help of a telescope havng an aperture of 4 inches (100mm) or more.
- See also 16 Psyche rise and set times.
- 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.
Additional information about Asteroid 16 Psyche available on TheSkyLive:
Asteroid 16 Psyche Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Asteroid 16 Psyche 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.
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 16 Psyche is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 16 Psyche?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 16 Psyche in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 16 Psyche from Earth is currently 458,341,156 kilometers, equivalent to 3.063821 Astronomical Units. Light takes 25 minutes and 28.8615 seconds to travel from Asteroid 16 Psyche and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 16 Psyche 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 16 Psyche from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Asteroid 16 Psyche to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Asteroid 16 Psyche to Earth happens on Mon Aug 17 2099 at a distance of 1.664707 Astronomical Units, or 249,036,660 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Asteroid 16 Psyche brightness
The current visual magnitude of Asteroid 16 Psyche is 12.03.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 16 Psyche, 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.
Asteroid 16 Psyche rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Today's Asteroid 16 Psyche rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change] are the following (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Asteroid 16 Psyche touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 16 Psyche at epoch 20 January 2022 00:00 UTC (JD: 2459600.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.13392662 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.09683840° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.53281831 AU 378,904,227 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.31615103 AU 496,089,134 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.92448467 AU 437,496,681 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.0013 years 1,826.7220 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-Apr-26 01:47:07 2,458,965.5744 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2025-Apr-26 19:06 2,460,792.2964 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 229.21980267992° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 150.03217634° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 125.12753493307° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.19707433°/day |
Visualization of Asteroid 16 Psyche Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 16 Psyche with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 16 Psyche 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!
View Asteroid 16 Psyche in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Asteroid 16 Psyche Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 16 Psyche. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 253.16 km | 0.0199 |
| Sideral Rotation | 4.1960 hours | 0.1753 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 5.9 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.1203 |
Asteroid 16 Psyche 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 16 Psyche computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 16 Psyche in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 May 19 | 10h 36m 24s | +10° 19’ 41” | 11.93 | Leo |
| 2022 May 20 | 10h 36m 50s | +10° 17’ 14” | 11.95 | Leo |
| 2022 May 21 | 10h 37m 17s | +10° 14’ 43” | 11.96 | Leo |
| 2022 May 22 | 10h 37m 44s | +10° 12’ 05” | 11.97 | Leo |
| 2022 May 23 | 10h 38m 12s | +10° 09’ 20” | 11.98 | Leo |
| 2022 May 24 | 10h 38m 43s | +10° 06’ 30” | 12.00 | Leo |
| 2022 May 25 | 10h 39m 12s | +10° 03’ 36” | 12.01 | Leo |
| 2022 May 26 | 10h 39m 43s | +10° 00’ 34” | 12.02 | Leo |
| 2022 May 27 | 10h 40m 17s | +09° 57’ 29” | 12.03 | Leo |
| 2022 May 28 | 10h 40m 50s | +09° 54’ 16” | 12.04 | Leo |
| 2022 May 29 | 10h 41m 23s | +09° 50’ 59” | 12.05 | Leo |
| 2022 May 30 | 10h 41m 57s | +09° 47’ 36” | 12.06 | Leo |
| 2022 May 31 | 10h 42m 33s | +09° 44’ 09” | 12.07 | Leo |
| 2022 Jun 01 | 10h 43m 09s | +09° 40’ 36” | 12.08 | Leo |