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Asteroid

Klotho

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97 Klotho (A868 DB)

Klotho is an asteroid in the Main-belt asteroid orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 1.98 AU to 3.36 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 4.36 years; it is about 101 km across. Discovered 17 February 1868 by Tempel, E. W.. Orbit from the JPL solution of 5 June 2026.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
3.294 AU
True anomaly
198.85°
Distance from Earth
3.942 AU
As of
25 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Orbit of Mercury Orbit of Venus Orbit of Mars Sun Earth — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth Klotho — 3.294 AU from the Sun Klotho
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Klotho is 3.942 AU from Earth today (32.8 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
17h 00m 24s
Declination
-13° 19′ 34″
Constellation
Ophiuchus
Distance from Earth
3.95 AU
Elongation from the Sun
43.31° — near the Sun — look low at dusk or dawn

Visible from both hemispheres.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
2.669 AU
Eccentricity
0.2574
Inclination
11.77°
Orbital period
4.36 years
Perihelion
1.982 AU
Aphelion
3.356 AU
Longitude of ascending node
159.58°
Argument of periapsis
268.46°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · MBA
Main-belt asteroid
Earth MOID · 402.9 LD
1.0353 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
3.305

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
5,168
Data arc
155.7 years
First observed
23 July 1870
Last observed
14 April 2026
Residual RMS
0.4 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
5 June 2026

Physical properties

Mean radius
50 km
Rotation period
35.15 hours

Visual & observation

Geometric albedo
0.128
Absolute magnitude (H)
7.78
Colour index (B–V)
0.72
Spectral type (Tholen)
M
Colour index (U–B)
0.23

Discovery & classification

Discovered by
Tempel, E. W.
Discovery date
17 February 1868
Discovery site
Marseilles

Also known as 97 · A868 DB

Main-Belt Asteroid Named

Sources