(307261) 2002 MS4
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase
Today	19 May 2024	20.4	46.184 AU	45.556 AU	19h10m	-05°17'	127.8°	1.0°
Opposition	9 Jul 2024	20.3	46.171 AU	45.199 AU	19h06m	-05°14'	162.8°	0.4°

The interactive orbit chart above shows the body's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)

The orbital elements of 2002 MS4 are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.1440325
            a (Semimajor axis)              : 41.9087999
            i (Inclination)                 : 17.70697
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 216.22504
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 212.53455
            M (Mean anomaly)                : 228.38068
            Epoch                           : 2022 Aug 09

            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 247.51195
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -9.41439
            P (Orbital period in years)     : 271.31            
        

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the minor planet's magnitude.

The all-sky chart below shows the path of the minor planet over the same period as the light curve. The current position is marked yellow.

The following chart shows the path of the minor planet in the next few days. The field of view is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes. A more printer-friendly version of the same chart can be found below.

Ephemerides:

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2024-05-19 00:00 UT   19 10 04.8   -05 17 41    45.556   46.184  127.8    1.0   249   20.4 
2024-05-19 00:03 UT   19 10 04.8   -05 17 41    45.556   46.184  127.8    1.0   249   20.4 
2024-05-20 00:00 UT   19 10 02.1   -05 17 27    45.543   46.183  128.7    1.0   249   20.4 
2024-05-21 00:00 UT   19 09 59.3   -05 17 14    45.531   46.183  129.6    1.0   248   20.4 
2024-05-22 00:00 UT   19 09 56.5   -05 17 02    45.519   46.183  130.5    1.0   248   20.4 
2024-05-23 00:00 UT   19 09 53.6   -05 16 49    45.506   46.183  131.4    0.9   247   20.4 
2024-05-24 00:00 UT   19 09 50.6   -05 16 37    45.495   46.182  132.3    0.9   247   20.4 
2024-05-25 00:00 UT   19 09 47.6   -05 16 26    45.483   46.182  133.2    0.9   246   20.4 
2024-05-26 00:00 UT   19 09 44.5   -05 16 15    45.471   46.182  134.1    0.9   246   20.4 
2024-05-27 00:00 UT   19 09 41.4   -05 16 04    45.460   46.182  135.0    0.9   245   20.4 
2024-05-28 00:00 UT   19 09 38.2   -05 15 53    45.449   46.181  135.9    0.9   244   20.4 
2024-05-29 00:00 UT   19 09 35.0   -05 15 43    45.438   46.181  136.8    0.9   244   20.4 
2024-05-30 00:00 UT   19 09 31.6   -05 15 34    45.427   46.181  137.6    0.8   243   20.4 
2024-05-31 00:00 UT   19 09 28.3   -05 15 24    45.417   46.181  138.5    0.8   243   20.4 
2024-06-01 00:00 UT   19 09 24.9   -05 15 16    45.406   46.180  139.4    0.8   242   20.4 
2024-06-02 00:00 UT   19 09 21.4   -05 15 07    45.396   46.180  140.2    0.8   241   20.4 
2024-06-03 00:00 UT   19 09 17.9   -05 14 59    45.386   46.180  141.1    0.8   240   20.4 
2024-06-04 00:00 UT   19 09 14.3   -05 14 51    45.377   46.180  142.0    0.8   240   20.4 
2024-06-05 00:00 UT   19 09 10.7   -05 14 44    45.367   46.179  142.8    0.8   239   20.4 
2024-06-06 00:00 UT   19 09 07.0   -05 14 37    45.358   46.179  143.6    0.7   238   20.4 
2024-06-07 00:00 UT   19 09 03.3   -05 14 31    45.349   46.179  144.5    0.7   237   20.4 
2024-06-08 00:00 UT   19 08 59.6   -05 14 25    45.340   46.179  145.3    0.7   236   20.3 
2024-06-09 00:00 UT   19 08 55.8   -05 14 19    45.332   46.178  146.1    0.7   236   20.3 
2024-06-10 00:00 UT   19 08 51.9   -05 14 14    45.324   46.178  147.0    0.7   235   20.3 
2024-06-11 00:00 UT   19 08 48.0   -05 14 09    45.316   46.178  147.8    0.7   234   20.3 
2024-06-12 00:00 UT   19 08 44.1   -05 14 05    45.308   46.178  148.6    0.7   233   20.3 
2024-06-13 00:00 UT   19 08 40.2   -05 14 01    45.301   46.177  149.4    0.6   232   20.3 
2024-06-14 00:00 UT   19 08 36.2   -05 13 57    45.293   46.177  150.2    0.6   230   20.3 
2024-06-15 00:00 UT   19 08 32.2   -05 13 54    45.286   46.177  150.9    0.6   229   20.3 
2024-06-16 00:00 UT   19 08 28.1   -05 13 51    45.280   46.177  151.7    0.6   228   20.3 
2024-06-17 00:00 UT   19 08 24.0   -05 13 49    45.273   46.176  152.5    0.6   227   20.3 
2024-06-18 00:00 UT   19 08 19.9   -05 13 47    45.267   46.176  153.2    0.6   225   20.3 

    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between minor planet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between minor planet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-minor planet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-minor planet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km
    

Orbital elements provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.