Asteroid 1979 XB
Asteroid 1979 XB is in the constellation of
Cetus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 1979 XB is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 1979 XB?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 1979 XB in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 1979 XB from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 1979 XB is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-South-West direction at an altitude of 18.30° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 1979 XB 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 1979 XB from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 1979 XB 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 1979 XB from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 1979 XB to Earth happens on Wed Dec 10 2092 at a distance of 0.062426 Astronomical Units, or 9,338,740 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 1979 XB, 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.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 1979 XB at epoch 13 December 1979 00:00 UTC (JD: 2444221.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.70844951 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 24.73412122° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.64959947 AU 97,178,698 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.80657184 AU 569,455,043 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.22808566 AU 333,316,871 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.3259 years 1,214.7761 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1980-Jan-29 04:00:26 2,444,267.6670 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 1983-May-27 22:38 2,445,482.4431 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 75.579898280515° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 86.055503094738° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 346.31837437011° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29635090°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Asteroid 1979 XB in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 1979 XB computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Apr 10 | 00h 18m 57s | -19° 37’ 46” | 25.30 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 11 | 00h 20m 00s | -19° 32’ 38” | 25.30 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 12 | 00h 21m 04s | -19° 27’ 34” | 25.30 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 13 | 00h 22m 07s | -19° 22’ 35” | 25.30 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 14 | 00h 23m 10s | -19° 17’ 38” | 25.30 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 15 | 00h 24m 13s | -19° 12’ 45” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 16 | 00h 25m 16s | -19° 07’ 56” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 17 | 00h 26m 19s | -19° 03’ 11” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 18 | 00h 27m 22s | -18° 58’ 30” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 19 | 00h 28m 24s | -18° 53’ 52” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 20 | 00h 29m 27s | -18° 49’ 18” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 21 | 00h 30m 29s | -18° 44’ 49” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 22 | 00h 31m 32s | -18° 40’ 24” | 25.31 | Cetus |
| 2025 Apr 23 | 00h 32m 34s | -18° 36’ 02” | 25.31 | Cetus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 1979 XB?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 1979 XB from Earth?)
- When does Asteroid 1979 XB rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 1979 XB?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 1979 XB orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 1979 XB with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 1979 XB for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 1979 XB in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 1979 XB with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.