Asteroid 16 Psyche
Asteroid 16 Psyche is in the constellation of
Aries,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
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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):
- 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
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Distance from Earth
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 |
| Next perihelion transit | 2030-Apr-27 18:18 2,462,619.2627 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 |
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 May 28 | 02h 27m 29s | +12° 31’ 10” | 11.44 | Aries |
| 2025 May 29 | 02h 29m 13s | +12° 39’ 08” | 11.45 | Aries |
| 2025 May 30 | 02h 30m 57s | +12° 47’ 02” | 11.45 | Aries |
| 2025 May 31 | 02h 32m 42s | +12° 54’ 53” | 11.45 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 01 | 02h 34m 26s | +13° 02’ 38” | 11.46 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 02 | 02h 36m 11s | +13° 10’ 21” | 11.46 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 03 | 02h 37m 56s | +13° 17’ 58” | 11.46 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 04 | 02h 39m 40s | +13° 25’ 32” | 11.46 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 05 | 02h 41m 24s | +13° 33’ 02” | 11.47 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 06 | 02h 43m 08s | +13° 40’ 27” | 11.47 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 07 | 02h 44m 52s | +13° 47’ 48” | 11.47 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 08 | 02h 46m 35s | +13° 55’ 05” | 11.47 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 09 | 02h 48m 19s | +14° 02’ 17” | 11.48 | Aries |
| 2025 Jun 10 | 02h 50m 03s | +14° 09’ 26” | 11.48 | Aries |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 16 Psyche: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is Asteroid 16 Psyche?: Key information on locating Asteroid 16 Psyche in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Asteroid 16 Psyche is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Asteroid 16 Psyche?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Asteroid 16 Psyche's rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Asteroid 16 Psyche's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Asteroid 16 Psyche's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Asteroid 16 Psyche orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive 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.