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public Observing fromLocation: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt
SunriseRise: 5:41  
clear_day Transit: 12:03  
SunsetSet: 18:26
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Dwarf Planets and Asteroids » 

Asteroid 2 Pallas

Altitude: 38.1°   Azimuth: 115.4°   Direction: East-South-East

2 Pallas is a large asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 28, 1802 and is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, with a diameter of approximately 544 kilometers. It has a highly irregular shape, with a large impact crater on one side that suggests it may have experienced a significant collision in its past. 2 Pallas has a relatively high density compared to other asteroids, indicating that it may be composed of a significant amount of metal or have a differentiated interior. It has a rotation period of about 7.8 hours and an orbital period of 4.6 Earth years. Because of its irregular shape and complex surface features, 2 Pallas is considered a challenging target for spacecraft missions. However, observations from Earth-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope have provided valuable insights into its geology, composition, and history.

Asteroid 2 Pallas is currently in the constellation of Hercules, at a distance of 342,391,394 kilometers from Earth.

Finder chart of 2 Pallas in Hercules on March,29 2024
Map showing Asteroid 2 Pallas in Hercules on March, 29 2024. Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View interactive star map
The current Right Ascension of Asteroid 2 Pallas is 16h 49m 15s and the Declination is +15° 48’ 45” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt). The current magnitude of Asteroid 2 Pallas is 9.20 (JPL).

16h 49m 15s
+15° 48’ 45”
Hercules
9.20

Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):

Azimuth: 74.0°
Max altitude: 54.4°
Azimuth: 285.9°
  • 2 Pallas is above the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom edit_location_alt.
  • Right now it is placed in the East-South-East direction at an altitude of 38° above the horizon.
  • Given its current magnitude, 2 Pallas is visible with the help of a binocular with a 50mm aperture, easy with 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.

Additional Resources

Asteroid 2 Pallas Position and Finder Charts

Finder chart of 2 Pallas
Map showing Asteroid 2 Pallas in Hercules on March, 29 2024
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen

Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 2 Pallas is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.

2 Pallas
RA: 16h 49m 15s
Dec: +15° 48’ 45”
Deep sky finder chart for Asteroid 2 Pallas
Field of view: 60x40 arcmins
View fullscreen

Also check out Where is Asteroid 2 Pallas?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 2 Pallas in the sky and additional links to sky charts.

Asteroid 2 Pallas Distance from Earth

The distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Earth is currently 342,391,394 kilometers, equivalent to 2.288745 Astronomical Units. Light takes 19 minutes and 2.0948 seconds to travel from Asteroid 2 Pallas and arrive to us.

342,391,394
2.288745
19 minutes and 2.0948 seconds

The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas 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 2 Pallas 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 2 Pallas from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.

Closest Approach of Asteroid 2 Pallas to Earth

Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Asteroid 2 Pallas to Earth happens on Sat Feb 16 1608 at a distance of 1.193832 Astronomical Units, or 178,594,670 kilometers:

Sat Feb 16 1608
178,594,670
1.193832

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

Asteroid 2 Pallas Brightness and Light Curve

The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 2 Pallas, 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 2 Pallas as a function of time

Asteroid 2 Pallas Orbital Elements

The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 2 Pallas at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Element Symbol Value
Orbit eccentricity e 0.23008437
Orbit inclination i 34.92703056°
Perihelion distance q 2.13238273 AU
318,999,917 km
Aphelion distance Q 3.40688064 AU
509,662,090 km
Semi-major axis a 2.76963168 AU
414,331,003 km
Orbital period period 4.6094 years
1,683.5711 days
Date of perihelion transit Tp 2023-Mar-07 01:22:32
2,460,010.5573 JD
Next perihelion transit 2027-Oct-15 15:04
2,461,694.1284 JD
Argument of perihelion peri 310.86479846644°
Longitude of the ascending node node 172.918132705°
Mean anomaly M 357.84943175674°
Mean motion n 0.21383119°/day

Visualization of Asteroid 2 Pallas Orbit

This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 2 Pallas with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 2 Pallas 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 2 Pallas
View Asteroid 2 Pallas in the 3D Solar System Simulator

Asteroid 2 Pallas Physical Data

The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 2 Pallas. Source: JPL Small-Body Database

Physical Parameter Value Relative to Earth
Diameter 545 km 0.0428
Sideral Rotation 7.8132 hours 0.3264
Absolute Magnitude 4.13
Geometric Albedo 0.1587

Asteroid 2 Pallas 15 Days Ephemeris

The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 2 Pallas computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 2 Pallas in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.

Date Right AscensionR.A. DeclinationDec. MagnitudeMag Constellation
2024 Mar 22 16h 47m 25s +14° 03’ 41” 9.25 Hercules
2024 Mar 23 16h 47m 45s +14° 18’ 29” 9.25 Hercules
2024 Mar 24 16h 48m 03s +14° 33’ 20” 9.24 Hercules
2024 Mar 25 16h 48m 20s +14° 48’ 12” 9.23 Hercules
2024 Mar 26 16h 48m 37s +15° 03’ 07” 9.22 Hercules
2024 Mar 27 16h 48m 51s +15° 18’ 05” 9.21 Hercules
2024 Mar 28 16h 49m 04s +15° 33’ 03” 9.20 Hercules
2024 Mar 29 16h 49m 14s +15° 48’ 03” 9.20 Hercules
2024 Mar 30 16h 49m 24s +16° 03’ 03” 9.19 Hercules
2024 Mar 31 16h 49m 32s +16° 18’ 05” 9.18 Hercules
2024 Apr 01 16h 49m 40s +16° 33’ 06” 9.17 Hercules
2024 Apr 02 16h 49m 45s +16° 48’ 06” 9.16 Hercules
2024 Apr 03 16h 49m 49s +17° 03’ 06” 9.16 Hercules
2024 Apr 04 16h 49m 50s +17° 18’ 05” 9.15 Hercules