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Trans-Neptunian object

2015 RD281

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(2015 RD281)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
39.761 AU
True anomaly
74.75°
Distance from Earth
38.766 AU
As of
17 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 — 0.996 AU from the Sun Earth 2015 RD281 — 39.761 AU from the Sun 2015 RD281
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2015 RD281 is 38.766 AU from Earth today (5.4 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
01h 38m 59s
Declination
+08° 02′ 46″
Constellation
Pisces
Distance from Earth
38.77 AU
Elongation from the Sun
177.82° — near opposition — up most of the night

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
41.427 AU
Eccentricity
0.1107
Inclination
17.48°
Orbital period
266.6 years
Perihelion
36.84 AU
Aphelion
46.014 AU
Longitude of ascending node
199.36°
Argument of periapsis
112.04°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 13,958.1 LD
35.866 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.475

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
29
Data arc
764 days
First observed
20 August 2015
Last observed
22 September 2017
Residual RMS
0.24 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
9.3

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources