(18) Melpomene
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase
Today	27 Sep 2022	11.8	2.473 AU	2.923 AU	15h47m	-11°31'	54.1°	19.2°
Opposition	5 Nov 2023	8.3	1.824 AU	0.863 AU	03h07m	-04°04'	159.2°	11.1°

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 Melpomene are:

            e (Eccentricity)                : 0.2180828
            a (Semimajor axis)              : 2.2953745
            i (Inclination)                 : 10.13248
            Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 150.36065
            ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 228.15036
            M (Mean anomaly)                : 247.01824
            Epoch                           : 2022 Aug 09

            L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 198.06304
            B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -7.53005
            P (Orbital period in years)     : 3.48            
        

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.