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Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)
Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is in the constellation of Ophiuchus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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 asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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 asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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 asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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 30, 2100, the closest approach of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) to Earth will happen on Sunday 6 December 2076 at a distance of 0.010460 Astronomical Units, or 1,564,794 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3), i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) at epoch February, 24 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.19108984 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 5.86617919° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.96337310 AU 144,118,565 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
1.41853074 AU 212,209,178 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
1.19095192 AU 178,163,872 km |
| Orbital period | period |
1.2997 years 474.7225 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | August 12, 2023 2,460,168.8284 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | November 29, 2024 2,460,643.5508 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 211.60686871766° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 251.30134002236° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 232.35020871517° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.75833784°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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 05 2025 | 16h 33m 40s | -15° 13’ 47” | 19.54 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 06 2025 | 16h 32m 46s | -15° 06’ 32” | 19.59 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 07 2025 | 16h 31m 56s | -14° 59’ 41” | 19.64 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 08 2025 | 16h 31m 11s | -14° 53’ 11” | 19.68 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 09 2025 | 16h 30m 29s | -14° 47’ 05” | 19.73 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 10 2025 | 16h 29m 52s | -14° 41’ 20” | 19.77 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 11 2025 | 16h 29m 18s | -14° 35’ 58” | 19.82 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 12 2025 | 16h 28m 49s | -14° 30’ 56” | 19.86 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 13 2025 | 16h 28m 24s | -14° 26’ 15” | 19.90 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 14 2025 | 16h 28m 03s | -14° 21’ 56” | 19.95 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 15 2025 | 16h 27m 46s | -14° 17’ 56” | 19.99 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 16 2025 | 16h 27m 32s | -14° 14’ 17” | 20.03 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 17 2025 | 16h 27m 23s | -14° 10’ 56” | 20.07 | Ophiuchus |
| Jul 18 2025 | 16h 27m 17s | -14° 07’ 55” | 20.11 | Ophiuchus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)?: Key information on where to find asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)'s position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) with respect to the major Solar System objects.