Asteroid 16 Psyche
Asteroid 16 Psyche Sky Charts and Coordinates
This is a simplified sky chart, showing where Asteroid 16 Psyche is now with respect to the brightest stars and constellations.
More advanced sky charts are available on TheSkyLive for this object: 1) the Online Planetarium which is interactive and allows to select dates and additional objects to visualize; and 2) the Live Position and Data Tracker which provides the highest precision position data and features deep sky imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey.
High Precision Live Sky Chart
Asteroid 16 Psyche Rise and Set Times
Today's Asteroid 16 Psyche rise, transit and set times from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]. All times are relative to the local timezone Europe/London.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Orbit Diagram
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 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 | MagnitudeMag | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 May 18 | 10.50 | 15h 06m 20s | -12° 53’ 21” | Libra |
| 2018 May 19 | 10.52 | 15h 05m 31s | -12° 50’ 09” | Libra |
| 2018 May 20 | 10.54 | 15h 04m 45s | -12° 46’ 59” | Libra |
| 2018 May 21 | 10.56 | 15h 03m 57s | -12° 43’ 53” | Libra |
| 2018 May 22 | 10.58 | 15h 03m 11s | -12° 40’ 50” | Libra |
| 2018 May 23 | 10.60 | 15h 02m 26s | -12° 37’ 50” | Libra |
| 2018 May 24 | 10.61 | 15h 01m 40s | -12° 34’ 54” | Libra |
| 2018 May 25 | 10.63 | 15h 00m 55s | -12° 32’ 02” | Libra |
| 2018 May 26 | 10.65 | 15h 00m 11s | -12° 29’ 13” | Libra |
| 2018 May 27 | 10.67 | 14h 59m 26s | -12° 26’ 29” | Libra |
| 2018 May 28 | 10.69 | 14h 58m 45s | -12° 23’ 48” | Libra |
| 2018 May 29 | 10.71 | 14h 58m 01s | -12° 21’ 14” | Libra |
| 2018 May 30 | 10.72 | 14h 57m 20s | -12° 18’ 42” | Libra |
| 2018 May 31 | 10.74 | 14h 56m 39s | -12° 16’ 15” | Libra |
Distance of Asteroid 16 Psyche from Earth
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 16 Psyche from Earth as a function of time. Distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with a 2 days interval.
The reported distances might be inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 16 Psyche is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Light Curve of Asteroid 16 Psyche
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 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 Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 16 Psyche at epoch 22 March 2018 00:00 UTC (JD: 2458200.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.13390572 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 3.09508706° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.53570178 AU 379,335,588 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.31978496 AU 496,632,762 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.92774337 AU 437,984,175 km |
| Orbital period | period |
5.0100 years 1,829.7760 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2020-Apr-20 22:36:47 2,458,960.4422 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 227.89878204738° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 150.19051695937° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 210.48487253357° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.19674539°/day |
| Closest approach to Earth* | 2074-Aug-16 | |
| Distance of closest approach* | 1.66575681 AU 249,193,673 km |
|
* NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed for the time interval between 2013-Jan-01 and 2075-Dec-31, with a sampling interval of 1 day.