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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 6:04  
clear_day Transit: 12:06  
SunsetSet: 18:09
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Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)

Altitude: -17.0°   Azimuth: 95.8°   Direction: East

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is currently in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of 268,903,142 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in Capricornus on March,19 2024
Map showing Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in Capricornus on March, 19 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is 20h 35m 55s and the Declination is -16° 48’ 58” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is 22.81 (JPL).

20h 35m 55s
-16° 48’ 58”
Capricornus
22.81

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 106.8°
Max altitude: 21.8°
Azimuth: 253.3°
  • 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Given its current magnitude, 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is visible only through long exposure photography.
  • 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 Resources

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)
Map showing Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in Capricornus on March, 19 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)
RA: 20h 35m 55s
Dec: -16° 48’ 58”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from Earth is currently 268,903,142 kilometers, equivalent to 1.797506 Astronomical Units. Light takes 14 minutes and 56.9643 seconds to travel from Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) and arrive to us.

268,903,142
1.797506
14 minutes and 56.9643 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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.

Chart of the distance of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from Earth in Astronomical Units (au)

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 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) to Earth

Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) to Earth happens on Sun Dec 6 2076 at a distance of 0.010460 Astronomical Units, or 1,564,794 kilometers:

Sun Dec 6 2076
1,564,794
0.010460

NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3), 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.

Chart of the magnitude of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) as a function of time

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) at epoch 24 February 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 2023-Aug-12 07:52:53
2,460,168.8284 JD
Next perihelion transit 2024-Nov-29 01:13
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

Visualization of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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!

Orbit Diagram of Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3)
View Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU3) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 12 20h 16m 21s -18° 16’ 53” 22.82 Capricornus
2024 Mar 13 20h 19m 08s -18° 04’ 58” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 14 20h 21m 53s -17° 52’ 54” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 15 20h 24m 39s -17° 40’ 41” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 16 20h 27m 25s -17° 28’ 17” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 17 20h 30m 11s -17° 15’ 44” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 18 20h 32m 54s -17° 03’ 02” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 19 20h 35m 39s -16° 50’ 12” 22.81 Capricornus
2024 Mar 20 20h 38m 21s -16° 37’ 10” 22.80 Capricornus
2024 Mar 21 20h 41m 04s -16° 24’ 02” 22.80 Capricornus
2024 Mar 22 20h 43m 48s -16° 10’ 44” 22.80 Capricornus
2024 Mar 23 20h 46m 29s -15° 57’ 16” 22.80 Capricornus
2024 Mar 24 20h 49m 10s -15° 43’ 41” 22.80 Capricornus
2024 Mar 25 20h 51m 51s -15° 29’ 57” 22.79 Capricornus