Asteroid 16 Psyche
Asteroid 16 Psyche is an interesting object in the asteroid belt because it is believed to have a high concentration of metallic iron and nickel in its composition, making it one of the largest known metallic asteroids in the solar system. It was discovered on March 17, 1852, by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, who named it after Psyche, a figure in Greek mythology who represents the soul. Psyche is approximately 226 kilometers in diameter and orbits the Sun at a distance of about 3 astronomical units (AU), with an orbital period of about 5.5 years. The asteroid has been identified as a potential target for future space exploration, including NASA's Psyche mission.
Asteroid 16 Psyche is currently in the constellation of Aquarius, at a distance of 373,803,954 kilometers from Earth.
View interactive star map
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 16 Psyche from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 16 Psyche is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- 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
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.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher 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.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 16 Psyche from Earth is currently 373,803,954 kilometers, equivalent to 2.498725 Astronomical Units. Light takes 20 minutes and 46.8758 seconds to travel from Asteroid 16 Psyche and arrive to us.
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 of Asteroid 16 Psyche to Earth
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.
Asteroid 16 Psyche Brightness and 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.
Asteroid 16 Psyche 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 |
| 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 |
Visualization of Asteroid 16 Psyche Orbit
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 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 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. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 16 Psyche in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 08 | 21h 08m 22s | -14° 23’ 40” | 11.45 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 09 | 21h 09m 11s | -14° 20’ 00” | 11.44 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 10 | 21h 10m 00s | -14° 16’ 23” | 11.43 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 11 | 21h 10m 47s | -14° 12’ 51” | 11.41 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 12 | 21h 11m 35s | -14° 09’ 21” | 11.40 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 13 | 21h 12m 20s | -14° 05’ 56” | 11.38 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 14 | 21h 13m 05s | -14° 02’ 34” | 11.37 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 15 | 21h 13m 49s | -13° 59’ 16” | 11.36 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 16 | 21h 14m 31s | -13° 56’ 02” | 11.34 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 17 | 21h 15m 14s | -13° 52’ 51” | 11.33 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 18 | 21h 15m 54s | -13° 49’ 46” | 11.31 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 19 | 21h 16m 33s | -13° 46’ 45” | 11.30 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 20 | 21h 17m 12s | -13° 43’ 50” | 11.28 | Aquarius |
| 2024 May 21 | 21h 17m 49s | -13° 40’ 58” | 11.27 | Aquarius |