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Trans-Neptunian object

2015 VU170

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(2015 VU170)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
42.645 AU
True anomaly
280.23°
Distance from Earth
41.872 AU
As of
19 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 VU170 — 42.645 AU from the Sun 2015 VU170
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2015 VU170 is 41.872 AU from Earth today (5.8 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
04h 15m 21s
Declination
+21° 47′ 25″
Constellation
Taurus
Distance from Earth
41.87 AU
Elongation from the Sun
140.77° — 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
42.955 AU
Eccentricity
0.0342
Inclination
1.85°
Orbital period
281.5 years
Perihelion
41.485 AU
Aphelion
44.425 AU
Longitude of ascending node
48.96°
Argument of periapsis
95.8°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 15,760.6 LD
40.4978 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.861

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
29
Data arc
739 days
First observed
12 September 2015
Last observed
20 September 2017
Residual RMS
0.2 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
8.9

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources