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Trans-Neptunian object

2008 AU138

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(2008 AU138)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
43.056 AU
True anomaly
199.57°
Distance from Earth
43.449 AU
As of
15 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 — 0.997 AU from the Sun Earth 2008 AU138 — 43.056 AU from the Sun 2008 AU138
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2008 AU138 is 43.449 AU from Earth today (6.0 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
11h 16m 38s
Declination
+51° 38′ 32″
Constellation
Ursa Major
Distance from Earth
43.44 AU
Elongation from the Sun
66.42° — 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
32.487 AU
Eccentricity
0.3703
Inclination
42.83°
Orbital period
185.2 years
Perihelion
20.456 AU
Aphelion
44.518 AU
Longitude of ascending node
50.44°
Argument of periapsis
253.03°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 7,663.4 LD
19.6914 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
3.565

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
33
Data arc
20.39 years
First observed
24 October 2003
Last observed
13 March 2024
Residual RMS
0.23 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2024

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
6.67

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources