Asteroid 15 Eunomia
Asteroid 15 Eunomia is one of the largest asteroids in the main asteroid belt, with a diameter of about 270 kilometers. It was discovered on July 29, 1851, by the Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis. The asteroid was named after Eunomia, the Greek goddess of law and order. Eunomia orbits the Sun at a distance of about 2.64 astronomical units (AU), with an orbital period of about 4.38 years. Eunomia is classified as an S-type asteroid, indicating that its surface is likely composed of silicate materials. Astronomers have observed that Eunomia has a small moon, which has a diameter of about 4 kilometers and orbits at a distance of approximately 110 kilometers from the asteroid's center.
Asteroid 15 Eunomia is currently in the constellation of Pisces, at a distance of 465,548,762 kilometers from Earth.
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Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 15 Eunomia from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 15 Eunomia is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Right now it is placed in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 36° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 15 Eunomia is visible with the help of a binocular with a 60mm aperture, might require a small telescope.
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Asteroid 15 Eunomia Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 15 Eunomia is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 15 Eunomia?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 15 Eunomia in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Asteroid 15 Eunomia Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 15 Eunomia from Earth is currently 465,548,762 kilometers, equivalent to 3.112001 Astronomical Units. Light takes 25 minutes and 52.9035 seconds to travel from Asteroid 15 Eunomia and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 15 Eunomia 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 15 Eunomia from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Asteroid 15 Eunomia to Earth
Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 15 Eunomia to Earth happens on Sat Oct 24 2071 at a distance of 1.190320 Astronomical Units, or 178,069,374 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Asteroid 15 Eunomia Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 15 Eunomia, 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 15 Eunomia Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 15 Eunomia at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.18700976 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 11.75360648° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.14877925 AU 321,452,801 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.13733404 AU 469,338,492 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.64305664 AU 395,395,647 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4.2970 years 1,569.4885 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Jul-14 02:11:40 2,460,505.5914 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 98.713244720149° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 292.90826165525° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 244.14510652076° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.22937410°/day |
Visualization of Asteroid 15 Eunomia Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 15 Eunomia with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 15 Eunomia 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 15 Eunomia in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Asteroid 15 Eunomia Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 15 Eunomia. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 255.33 km | 0.0200 |
| Sideral Rotation | 6.0830 hours | 0.2542 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 5.28 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.2094 |
Asteroid 15 Eunomia 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 15 Eunomia computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 15 Eunomia in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Apr 11 | 00h 11m 30s | +09° 29’ 03” | 10.06 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 12 | 00h 13m 27s | +09° 43’ 09” | 10.07 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 13 | 00h 15m 24s | +09° 57’ 14” | 10.07 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 14 | 00h 17m 21s | +10° 11’ 18” | 10.08 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 15 | 00h 19m 18s | +10° 25’ 23” | 10.08 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 16 | 00h 21m 14s | +10° 39’ 27” | 10.08 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 17 | 00h 23m 11s | +10° 53’ 30” | 10.09 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 18 | 00h 25m 08s | +11° 07’ 32” | 10.09 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 19 | 00h 27m 05s | +11° 21’ 34” | 10.09 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 20 | 00h 29m 02s | +11° 35’ 35” | 10.09 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 21 | 00h 31m 00s | +11° 49’ 36” | 10.10 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 22 | 00h 32m 57s | +12° 03’ 36” | 10.10 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 23 | 00h 34m 54s | +12° 17’ 35” | 10.10 | Pisces |
| 2024 Apr 24 | 00h 36m 51s | +12° 31’ 32” | 10.11 | Pisces |