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Asteroid 17 Thetis Position Calculator
Compute the position of Asteroid 17 Thetis for any date and time between 1 January 1900 and 31 December 2099 and visualize the results on an interactive sky map.
Asteroid 17 Thetis
Asteroid 17 Thetis is in the constellation of
Cetus,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
Asteroid 17 Thetis is a large main-belt asteroid that was discovered on April 17, 1852, by the German astronomer Robert Luther at Bilk Observatory in Düsseldorf. It is named after Thetis, a sea goddess in Greek mythology who is the mother of Achilles. Thetis has an estimated diameter of about 90 kilometers and orbits the Sun at an average distance of about 2.4 astronomical units (AU), with an orbital period of about 3.6 years. Its rotation period is estimated to be about 6.4 hours. Little is known about the surface features or composition of Thetis, but its relatively low density suggests that it may be a C-type asteroid, composed of carbonaceous materials.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 17 Thetis from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 17 Thetis is above the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Right now it is placed in the South-East direction at an altitude of 27.67° above the horizon.
- Given its current magnitude, 17 Thetis is visible with the help of a telescope having an aperture of 4 inches (100mm) or more.
- 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 17 Thetis is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 17 Thetis?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 17 Thetis in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 17 Thetis from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 17 Thetis 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 17 Thetis 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 17 Thetis to Earth happens on Wed Jun 15 1938 at a distance of 1.120642 Astronomical Units, or 167,645,665 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 17 Thetis, 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 17 Thetis at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.13257020 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 5.59200088° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 2.14367299 AU 320,688,915 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
2.79891255 AU 418,711,358 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.47129277 AU 369,700,137 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.8850 years 1,419.0076 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Oct-22 21:25:10 2,460,240.3925 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 2027-Sep-10 21:36 2,461,659.4001 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 135.72403018034° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 125.53993295224° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 299.13965437649° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.25369843°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Asteroid 17 Thetis in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 17 Thetis. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
|---|---|---|
| Diameter | 90.04 km | 0.0071 |
| Sideral Rotation | 12.2705 hours | 0.5127 |
| Absolute Magnitude | 7.76 | |
| Geometric Albedo | 0.1715 |
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 17 Thetis 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 22 | 00h 40m 47s | -00° 40’ 55” | 12.15 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 23 | 00h 41m 16s | -00° 41’ 19” | 12.13 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 24 | 00h 41m 45s | -00° 41’ 54” | 12.12 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 25 | 00h 42m 11s | -00° 42’ 39” | 12.10 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 26 | 00h 42m 36s | -00° 43’ 34” | 12.09 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 27 | 00h 43m 00s | -00° 44’ 40” | 12.07 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 28 | 00h 43m 23s | -00° 45’ 56” | 12.06 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 29 | 00h 43m 43s | -00° 47’ 24” | 12.04 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 30 | 00h 44m 03s | -00° 49’ 01” | 12.02 | Cetus |
| 2024 Jul 31 | 00h 44m 20s | -00° 50’ 50” | 12.01 | Cetus |
| 2024 Aug 01 | 00h 44m 37s | -00° 52’ 49” | 11.99 | Cetus |
| 2024 Aug 02 | 00h 44m 51s | -00° 54’ 59” | 11.97 | Cetus |
| 2024 Aug 03 | 00h 45m 04s | -00° 57’ 20” | 11.96 | Cetus |
| 2024 Aug 04 | 00h 45m 16s | -00° 59’ 52” | 11.94 | Cetus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Asteroid 17 Thetis?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Asteroid 17 Thetis from Earth?)
- When does Asteroid 17 Thetis rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Asteroid 17 Thetis?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Asteroid 17 Thetis orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Asteroid 17 Thetis with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- Physical data. Detailed information about physical properties of Asteroid 17 Thetis, such as mass and geometric properties.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Asteroid 17 Thetis for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Asteroid 17 Thetis in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Asteroid 17 Thetis with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.