|
(20) Massalia |
| ephemeris |
date |
magn |
radius |
delta |
ra |
dec |
elong |
phase |
| Today | 20 Oct 2026 | 11.9 | 2.605 AU | 3.515 AU | 14h57m | -16°34' | 20.4° | 7.7° |
| Opposition | 11 Jul 2027 | 10.0 | 2.751 AU | 1.735 AU | 19h22m | -20°58' | 178.8° | 0.5° |
(20) Massalia - 2026-10-20
astro.vanbuitenen.nl
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 Massalia are:
e (Eccentricity) : 0.1436089
a (Semimajor axis) : 2.4079541
i (Inclination) : 0.70934
Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 205.94781
ω (Argument of perihelion) : 257.19553
M (Mean anomaly) : 82.80148
Epoch : 2026 Jun 09
L (Longitude of perihelion) : 283.14239
B (Latitude of perihelion) : -0.69170
P (Orbital period in years) : 3.74
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.
Ephemerides:
Date Time RA (2000) DEC (2000) delta radius elong phase PA magn
2026-10-20 00:00 UT 14 57 03.2 -16 34 29 3.515 2.605 20.4 7.7 106 11.9
2026-10-20 08:12 UT 14 57 38.6 -16 36 58 3.517 2.605 20.2 7.6 106 11.9
2026-10-21 00:00 UT 14 58 47.0 -16 41 45 3.520 2.606 19.8 7.5 106 11.9
2026-10-22 00:00 UT 15 00 31.1 -16 48 58 3.526 2.607 19.3 7.2 106 11.9
2026-10-23 00:00 UT 15 02 15.3 -16 56 08 3.531 2.608 18.7 7.0 105 11.9
2026-10-24 00:00 UT 15 03 59.7 -17 03 15 3.536 2.609 18.2 6.8 105 11.9
2026-10-25 00:00 UT 15 05 44.3 -17 10 18 3.541 2.611 17.6 6.6 105 11.9
2026-10-26 00:00 UT 15 07 29.0 -17 17 18 3.546 2.612 17.0 6.4 105 11.9
2026-10-27 00:00 UT 15 09 14.0 -17 24 15 3.551 2.613 16.5 6.2 105 11.9
2026-10-28 00:00 UT 15 10 59.0 -17 31 09 3.556 2.614 15.9 6.0 105 11.9
2026-10-29 00:00 UT 15 12 44.3 -17 37 59 3.560 2.615 15.3 5.8 104 11.8
2026-10-30 00:00 UT 15 14 29.7 -17 44 45 3.564 2.616 14.8 5.6 104 11.8
2026-10-31 00:00 UT 15 16 15.2 -17 51 29 3.569 2.618 14.2 5.3 104 11.8
2026-11-01 00:00 UT 15 18 01.0 -17 58 08 3.573 2.619 13.6 5.1 104 11.8
2026-11-02 00:00 UT 15 19 46.9 -18 04 45 3.577 2.620 13.1 4.9 104 11.8
2026-11-03 00:00 UT 15 21 32.9 -18 11 17 3.581 2.621 12.5 4.7 103 11.8
2026-11-04 00:00 UT 15 23 19.1 -18 17 46 3.585 2.622 11.9 4.5 103 11.8
2026-11-05 00:00 UT 15 25 05.5 -18 24 12 3.588 2.623 11.4 4.3 103 11.8
2026-11-06 00:00 UT 15 26 52.0 -18 30 33 3.592 2.625 10.8 4.1 103 11.8
2026-11-07 00:00 UT 15 28 38.6 -18 36 51 3.595 2.626 10.2 3.8 103 11.8
2026-11-08 00:00 UT 15 30 25.4 -18 43 05 3.598 2.627 9.7 3.6 102 11.8
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.
