Skip to content
Public Universe
Centaur

2026 AY23

Add to an observing list or journal →

(2026 AY23)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
4.861 AU
True anomaly
312.84°
Distance from Earth
4.328 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 2026 AY23 — 4.861 AU from the Sun 2026 AY23
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2026 AY23 is 4.328 AU from Earth today (36.0 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
05h 19m 57s
Declination
+00° 22′ 29″
Constellation
Orion
Distance from Earth
4.32 AU
Elongation from the Sun
117.42° — well clear of the Sun

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
5.663 AU
Eccentricity
0.1844
Inclination
20.45°
Orbital period
13.48 years
Perihelion
4.619 AU
Aphelion
6.707 AU
Longitude of ascending node
170.05°
Argument of periapsis
305.99°
Epoch · J2000
2461000.5
Orbit class · CEN
Centaur
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.84

Orbit quality

Orbit very uncertain — the object may be effectively lost (uncertainty code 9).

Observations used
12
Data arc
3 days
First observed
4 January 2026
Last observed
7 January 2026
Residual RMS
0.17 ″

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
15.23

Discovery & classification

Centaur

Sources