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Trans-Neptunian object

1998 WY31

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(1998 WY31)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
42.294 AU
True anomaly
299.93°
Distance from Earth
42.117 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 1998 WY31 — 42.294 AU from the Sun 1998 WY31
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 1998 WY31 is 42.117 AU from Earth today (5.8 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
07h 26m 31s
Declination
+23° 21′ 56″
Constellation
Gemini
Distance from Earth
42.11 AU
Elongation from the Sun
100.01° — well clear of the Sun

Favours the northern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far south.

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
45.526 AU
Eccentricity
0.1214
Inclination
1.98°
Orbital period
307.2 years
Perihelion
40 AU
Aphelion
51.052 AU
Longitude of ascending node
63.64°
Argument of periapsis
104.9°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 15,180.8 LD
39.0078 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.983

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
29
Data arc
24.26 years
First observed
18 November 1998
Last observed
20 February 2023
Residual RMS
0.16 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
1 March 2023

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
6.98

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources