Asteroid 16 Psyche
Asteroid 16 Psyche is an interesting object in the asteroid belt because it is believed to have a high concentration of metallic iron and nickel in its composition, making it one of the largest known metallic asteroids in the solar system. It was discovered on March 17, 1852, by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, who named it after Psyche, a figure in Greek mythology who represents the soul. Psyche is approximately 226 kilometers in diameter and orbits the Sun at a distance of about 3 astronomical units (AU), with an orbital period of about 5.5 years. The asteroid has been identified as a potential target for future space exploration, including NASA's Psyche mission.
Asteroid 16 Psyche is in the constellation of
Aquarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High 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.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise,
transit and set times of
Asteroid 16 Psyche from
Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Azimuth: 93.6°
Max altitude: 34.9°
Azimuth: 266.4°
- 16 Psyche is
below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 16 Psyche is visible with the help of a binocular with a 70-80mm aperture or a small telescope.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple
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Distance from Earth
- 16 Psyche is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 16 Psyche is visible with the help of a binocular with a 70-80mm aperture or a small telescope.
- Go to interactive sky chart
The distance of Asteroid 16 Psyche from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 16 Psyche to Earth happens on Fri Nov 24 1905 at a distance of 1.641628 Astronomical Units, or 245,584,060 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 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 16 Psyche at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.13411742 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.09684542° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.53196623 AU 378,776,757 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.31632379 AU 496,114,979 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.92414501 AU 437,445,868 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.0004 years 1,826.4037 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2025-Apr-27 08:36:54 2,460,792.8590 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 229.32824981988° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 150.03080705° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 203.81918294997° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.19710866°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Asteroid 16 Psyche in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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 |
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Feb 12 | 23h 26m 12s | -04° 54’ 32” | 11.43 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 13 | 23h 27m 53s | -04° 44’ 17” | 11.43 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 14 | 23h 29m 33s | -04° 33’ 59” | 11.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 15 | 23h 31m 14s | -04° 23’ 41” | 11.42 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 16 | 23h 32m 55s | -04° 13’ 20” | 11.41 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 17 | 23h 34m 36s | -04° 02’ 59” | 11.41 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 18 | 23h 36m 16s | -03° 52’ 35” | 11.40 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 19 | 23h 37m 58s | -03° 42’ 10” | 11.40 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 20 | 23h 39m 39s | -03° 31’ 45” | 11.39 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 21 | 23h 41m 20s | -03° 21’ 17” | 11.39 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 22 | 23h 43m 01s | -03° 10’ 49” | 11.38 | Aquarius |
| 2025 Feb 23 | 23h 44m 43s | -03° 00’ 19” | 11.38 | Pisces |
| 2025 Feb 24 | 23h 46m 24s | -02° 49’ 49” | 11.37 | Pisces |
| 2025 Feb 25 | 23h 48m 06s | -02° 39’ 16” | 11.37 | Pisces |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 16 Psyche?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 16 Psyche from Earth?)
- When does Asteroid 16 Psyche rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 16 Psyche?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 16 Psyche orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 16 Psyche with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 16 Psyche, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 16 Psyche for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 16 Psyche in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 16 Psyche with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.