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Centaur

2004 TR388

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(2004 TR388)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
5.084 AU
True anomaly
10.9°
Distance from Earth
6.026 AU
As of
11 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.

Orbit of Mercury Orbit of Venus Orbit of Mars Sun Earth — 0.998 AU from the Sun Earth 2004 TR388 — 5.084 AU from the Sun 2004 TR388
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2004 TR388 is 6.026 AU from Earth today (50.1 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
14h 11m 32s
Declination
-15° 59′ 13″
Constellation
Virgo
Distance from Earth
6.03 AU
Elongation from the Sun
17.31° — too close to the Sun to observe

Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.

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
6.087 AU
Eccentricity
0.1669
Inclination
13.67°
Orbital period
15.02 years
Perihelion
5.071 AU
Aphelion
7.103 AU
Longitude of ascending node
232.12°
Argument of periapsis
335.98°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · CEN
Centaur
Earth MOID · 1,584.5 LD
4.0713 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.927

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
49
Data arc
21.48 years
First observed
15 October 2004
Last observed
9 April 2026
Residual RMS
0.64 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
5 June 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
14.64

Discovery & classification

Centaur

Close approaches 10 on record

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2037-05-07 17:17:00 Juptr 1.5521 AU 604.0 LD 3.6 km/s
2042-03-02 12:05:00 Jupiter 0.2714 AU 105.6 LD 4.4 km/s
2042-03-02 12:05:00 Juptr 0.2714 AU 105.6 LD 4.4 km/s
2054-08-10 09:40:00 Juptr 1.7041 AU 663.2 LD 7.4 km/s
2178-07-08 10:58:00 Jupiter 0.4844 AU 188.5 LD 4 km/s
2178-07-08 10:58:00 Juptr 0.4844 AU 188.5 LD 4 km/s
2196-04-21 10:59:00 Juptr 1.3942 AU 542.6 LD 7 km/s

Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.

Sources