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Asteroid 9 Metis Position Calculator
Compute the position of Asteroid 9 Metis for any date and time between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
Asteroid 9 Metis
Asteroid 9 Metis is in the constellation of
Leo,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Asteroid 9 Metis is a main-belt asteroid that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered on April 25, 1848, by Irish astronomer Andrew Graham. The asteroid is named after the Greek goddess of wisdom and cunning, Metis. Metis has a relatively small diameter of about 90 kilometers and a rotation period of about 5.5 hours. Its orbit is somewhat eccentric, with a semi-major axis of approximately 2.39 astronomical units (AU) and an orbital period of about 3.69 years. Metis is also a member of the Flora family of asteroids, a group of objects that share similar orbital and physical properties and are believed to have formed from a common parent body.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 9 Metis from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 9 Metis is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the West-North-West direction at an altitude of 0.15° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 9 Metis 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 9 Metis is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 9 Metis?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 9 Metis in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 9 Metis from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 9 Metis 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 9 Metis 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 9 Metis to Earth happens on Thu Dec 7 1916 at a distance of 1.107641 Astronomical Units, or 165,700,805 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 9 Metis, 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 9 Metis at epoch 12 September 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460200.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.12314872 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 5.57784939° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.09274436 AU 313,070,101 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.68057219 AU 401,007,892 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.38665827 AU 357,038,996 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.6872 years 1,346.7401 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Nov-06 12:17:03 2,460,255.0118 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-Jul-15 06:02 2,461,601.7519 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 5.7479145141883° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 68.868596344893° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 345.42832037731° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.26731216°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Asteroid 9 Metis in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 9 Metis. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 190 km | 0.0149 |
| Sideral Rotation | 5.0790 hours | 0.2122 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 6.28 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.118 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 9 Metis 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 | 09h 58m 29s | +16° 41’ 50” | 11.34 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 22 | 10h 00m 21s | +16° 31’ 35” | 11.34 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 23 | 10h 02m 14s | +16° 21’ 18” | 11.34 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 24 | 10h 04m 06s | +16° 10’ 57” | 11.34 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 25 | 10h 05m 57s | +16° 00’ 34” | 11.33 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 26 | 10h 07m 49s | +15° 50’ 09” | 11.33 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 27 | 10h 09m 40s | +15° 39’ 40” | 11.33 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 28 | 10h 11m 32s | +15° 29’ 10” | 11.33 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 29 | 10h 13m 24s | +15° 18’ 36” | 11.32 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 30 | 10h 15m 15s | +15° 08’ 00” | 11.32 | Leo |
| 2024 Jul 31 | 10h 17m 06s | +14° 57’ 21” | 11.32 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 01 | 10h 18m 57s | +14° 46’ 41” | 11.32 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 02 | 10h 20m 48s | +14° 35’ 58” | 11.31 | Leo |
| 2024 Aug 03 | 10h 22m 38s | +14° 25’ 12” | 11.31 | Leo |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 9 Metis?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 9 Metis from Earth?)
- When does Asteroid 9 Metis rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 9 Metis?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 9 Metis orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 9 Metis with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 9 Metis, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 9 Metis for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 9 Metis in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 9 Metis with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.