We use cookies to deliver essential features and to measure their performance. By using this site you accept our Privacy Policies.
A Complete Guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky
Donate now and help us to keep this site free and ad-free!
public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
north SunriseRise: 7:49  
clear_day Transit: 11:49  
SunsetSet: 15:50 south
sunny DaytimeWhat's Visible Now?
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 12 Victoria

Altitude: 20.5°   Azimuth: 222.0°   Direction: South-West

Asteroid 12 Victoria is a relatively small asteroid with a diameter of approximately 145 kilometers. It was discovered on September 13, 1850, by English astronomer John Russell Hind and named after the Roman goddess of victory, Victoria. The asteroid orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter, with a semi-major axis of approximately 2.47 astronomical units (AU) and an orbital period of about 4.09 years. It rotates relatively quickly, with a rotation period of about 5.28 hours. Victoria is also classified as an S-type asteroid, indicating that its surface is likely composed of silicate minerals and metallic elements.

Asteroid 12 Victoria is currently in the constellation of Virgo.

The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 12 Victoria is 12h 10m 48s and the Declination is -09° 08’ 50” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 12 Victoria is 12.67 (JPL).

12h 10m 48s
-09° 08’ 50”
Virgo
12.67

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 12 Victoria from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 99.1°
Max altitude: 29.4°
Azimuth: 260.8°
  • 12 Victoria is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the South-West direction at an altitude of 21° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 12 Victoria is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 6 inches (150mm) or more.
  • 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.

Available Resources

Asteroid 12 Victoria Position and Finder Charts

Below we provide Asteroid 12 Victoria finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.

Finder chart of 12 Victoria in Virgo on December,07 2023
Map showing Asteroid 12 Victoria in Virgo on December, 07 2023
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Finder chart of 12 Victoria
Map showing Asteroid 12 Victoria in Virgo on December, 07 2023
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 12 Victoria is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

12 Victoria
RA: 12h 10m 48s
Dec: -09° 08’ 50”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 12 Victoria
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 12 Victoria?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 12 Victoria in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 12 Victoria Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 12 Victoria from Earth is currently 427,908,978 kilometers, equivalent to 2.860395 Astronomical Units. Light takes 23 minutes and 47.3507 seconds to travel from Asteroid 12 Victoria and arrive to us.

427,908,978
2.860395
23 minutes and 47.3507 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 12 Victoria 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 12 Victoria 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 12 Victoria from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 12 Victoria to Earth

Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 12 Victoria to Earth happens on Thu Jul 29 2021 at a distance of 0.825577 Astronomical Units, or 123,504,556 kilometers:

Thu Jul 29 2021
123,504,556
0.825577

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

Asteroid 12 Victoria Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 12 Victoria, 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 12 Victoria as a function of time

Asteroid 12 Victoria Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 12 Victoria at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.22052580
Orbit inclination i 8.37412439°
Perihelion distance q 1.81881574 AU
272,090,962 km
Aphelion distance Q 2.84796025 AU
426,048,791 km
Semi-major axis a 2.33338799 AU
349,069,876 km
Orbital period period 3.5644 years
1,301.9037 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2021-Jul-24 18:29:23
2,459,420.2704 JD
Next perihelion transit 2025-Feb-15 16:10
2,460,722.1741 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 69.610692042764°
Longitude of the ascending node node 235.36334388911°
Mean anomaly M 160.44401018028°
Mean motion n 0.27651815°/day

Visualization of Asteroid 12 Victoria Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 12 Victoria with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 12 Victoria 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 12 Victoria
View Asteroid 12 Victoria in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 12 Victoria Physical Data

The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 12 Victoria. Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Physical Parameter Value Relative to Earth
Diameter 112.77 km 0.0089
Sideral Rotation 8.6599 hours 0.3618
Absolute Magnitude 7.24
Geometric Albedo 0.1765

Asteroid 12 Victoria 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 12 Victoria computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 12 Victoria in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2023 Nov 30 12h 02m 09s -08° 02’ 12” 12.73 Virgo
2023 Dec 01 12h 03m 20s -08° 11’ 17” 12.72 Virgo
2023 Dec 02 12h 04m 32s -08° 20’ 21” 12.72 Virgo
2023 Dec 03 12h 05m 43s -08° 29’ 24” 12.71 Virgo
2023 Dec 04 12h 06m 52s -08° 38’ 24” 12.70 Virgo
2023 Dec 05 12h 08m 02s -08° 47’ 21” 12.69 Virgo
2023 Dec 06 12h 09m 11s -08° 56’ 17” 12.68 Virgo
2023 Dec 07 12h 10m 20s -09° 05’ 12” 12.67 Virgo
2023 Dec 08 12h 11m 29s -09° 14’ 03” 12.66 Virgo
2023 Dec 09 12h 12m 37s -09° 22’ 53” 12.65 Virgo
2023 Dec 10 12h 13m 44s -09° 31’ 40” 12.65 Virgo
2023 Dec 11 12h 14m 51s -09° 40’ 23” 12.64 Virgo
2023 Dec 12 12h 15m 56s -09° 49’ 05” 12.63 Virgo
2023 Dec 13 12h 17m 03s -09° 57’ 45” 12.62 Virgo