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Trans-Neptunian object

Varda

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174567 Varda (2003 MW12)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
45.602 AU
True anomaly
261.4°
Distance from Earth
46.064 AU
As of
22 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 Varda — 45.602 AU from the Sun Varda
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Varda is 46.064 AU from Earth today (6.4 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
17h 55m 51s
Declination
-02° 12′ 00″
Constellation
Ophiuchus
Distance from Earth
46.07 AU
Elongation from the Sun
61.35° — well clear of the Sun

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.

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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
45.554 AU
Eccentricity
0.1423
Inclination
21.51°
Orbital period
307.5 years
Perihelion
39.072 AU
Aphelion
52.035 AU
Longitude of ascending node
184.08°
Argument of periapsis
184.84°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 14,816.2 LD
38.0711 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.564

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 1).

Observations used
747
Data arc
44.4 years
First observed
19 March 1980
Last observed
11 August 2024
Residual RMS
0.6 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
11 October 2024

Physical properties

Rotation period
5.91 hours

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
3.46

Discovery & classification

Discovered by
Larsen, J. A.
Discovery date
21 June 2003
Discovery site
Kitt Peak

In J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology, Varda is the queen of the stars, the star-kindler. She is the deity who, prior to the birth of the first humans, created the stars and constellations. She also set the vessels of the Sun and Moon upon their appointed courses above the girdle of the Earth. Ilmarë is Varda's handmaid. Ilmarë: Secondary discovered in 2009 by K. S. Noll <i>et al.</i> using the Hubble Space Telescope.

Also known as 174567 · 2003 MW12

Named TNO

Sources