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Trans-Neptunian object

Sila-Nunam

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79360 Sila-Nunam (1997 CS29)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
43.42 AU
True anomaly
350.66°
Distance from Earth
43.972 AU
As of
21 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.

Sun Earth — 0.995 AU from the Sun Earth Sila-Nunam — 43.42 AU from the Sun Sila-Nunam
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Sila-Nunam is 43.972 AU from Earth today (6.1 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
10h 16m 44s
Declination
+09° 36′ 31″
Constellation
Leo
Distance from Earth
43.97 AU
Elongation from the Sun
55.85° — 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.

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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
44.083 AU
Eccentricity
0.0152
Inclination
2.24°
Orbital period
292.7 years
Perihelion
43.411 AU
Aphelion
44.756 AU
Longitude of ascending node
304.25°
Argument of periapsis
216.6°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 16,508.9 LD
42.4206 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.934

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 2).

Observations used
576
Data arc
29.17 years
First observed
3 February 1997
Last observed
6 April 2026
Residual RMS
0.51 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
6 June 2026

Physical properties

Rotation period
12.51 days

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
5.26

Discovery & classification

Discovered by
Luu, J. X., Jewitt, D. C., Trujillo, C. A., Chen, J.
Discovery date
3 February 1997
Discovery site
Mauna Kea

Sila is the Inuit god of the sky, weather, and life force. Nunam is the Earth goddess, Sila's wife. Nunam created the land animals and, in some traditions, the Inuit people (in other traditions Sila created the first people out of wet sand). Sila breathed life into the Inuit.

Also known as 79360 · 1997 CS29

Named TNO

Sources