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Asteroid 8 Flora Position Calculator
Compute the position of Asteroid 8 Flora for any date and time between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
Asteroid 8 Flora
Asteroid 8 Flora is in the constellation of
Gemini,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Asteroid 8 Flora has an orbital period of 3.27 years and a semi-major axis of approximately 2.2 astronomical units (AU), which places it in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on October 18, 1847, by astronomer John Russell Hind, and is named after the Roman goddess of flowers and gardens. Flora has a diameter of approximately 136 kilometers and is irregularly shaped, with a rotation period of about 8.67 hours. Flora is also the largest member of the Flora family of asteroids, a group of objects that share similar orbital and physical characteristics. The Flora family is thought to have formed from the collisional breakup of a larger asteroid, possibly due to a collision with a planetesimal or a disruptive event in the early solar system. The study of Flora and its family of asteroids has provided important insights into the history and evolution of the main asteroid belt and the formation of the solar system.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 8 Flora from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 8 Flora is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 15.29° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 8 Flora 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 8 Flora is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 8 Flora?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 8 Flora in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 8 Flora from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 8 Flora 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 8 Flora from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099, the closest approach of Asteroid 8 Flora to Earth happens on Mon Oct 30 1922 at a distance of 0.873221 Astronomical Units, or 130,632,051 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 8 Flora, 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 8 Flora at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.15639056 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 5.88919984° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.85681598 AU 277,775,718 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.54525894 AU 380,765,319 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.20103746 AU 329,270,519 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.2655 years 1,192.7230 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2024-Feb-01 13:39:23 2,460,342.0690 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-May-09 07:00 2,461,534.7920 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 285.60923865392° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 110.86400357168° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 256.9040989839° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.30183036°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Asteroid 8 Flora in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 8 Flora. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 135.89 km | 0.0107 |
| Sideral Rotation | 12.8650 hours | 0.5375 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 6.49 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.2426 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 8 Flora 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Jul 21 | 07h 21m 41s | +21° 36’ 38” | 10.88 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 22 | 07h 24m 02s | +21° 33’ 25” | 10.89 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 23 | 07h 26m 23s | +21° 30’ 05” | 10.90 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 24 | 07h 28m 43s | +21° 26’ 38” | 10.91 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 25 | 07h 31m 03s | +21° 23’ 03” | 10.92 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 26 | 07h 33m 22s | +21° 19’ 23” | 10.93 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 27 | 07h 35m 42s | +21° 15’ 35” | 10.94 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 28 | 07h 38m 01s | +21° 11’ 40” | 10.95 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 29 | 07h 40m 18s | +21° 07’ 39” | 10.96 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 30 | 07h 42m 37s | +21° 03’ 31” | 10.97 | Gemini |
| 2024 Jul 31 | 07h 44m 55s | +20° 59’ 16” | 10.98 | Gemini |
| 2024 Aug 01 | 07h 47m 12s | +20° 54’ 56” | 10.99 | Gemini |
| 2024 Aug 02 | 07h 49m 30s | +20° 50’ 28” | 10.99 | Gemini |
| 2024 Aug 03 | 07h 51m 47s | +20° 45’ 54” | 11.00 | Gemini |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 8 Flora?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 8 Flora from Earth?)
- When does Asteroid 8 Flora rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 8 Flora?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 8 Flora orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 8 Flora with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 8 Flora, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 8 Flora for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 8 Flora in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 8 Flora with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.