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Centaur

2026 RM38

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(2026 RM38)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
1.49 AU
True anomaly
18.46°
Distance from Earth
0.525 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 RM38 — 1.49 AU from the Sun 2026 RM38
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2026 RM38 is 0.525 AU from Earth today (4.4 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
00h 59m 13s
Declination
-18° 10′ 14″
Constellation
Cetus
Distance from Earth
0.53 AU
Elongation from the Sun
154.17° — well clear of the Sun

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
6.456 AU
Eccentricity
0.7743
Inclination
29.26°
Orbital period
16.4 years
Perihelion
1.457 AU
Aphelion
11.455 AU
Longitude of ascending node
180.73°
Argument of periapsis
177.13°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · CEN
Centaur
Tisserand (Jupiter)
2.036

Orbit quality

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

Observations used
49
Data arc
4 days
First observed
11 September 2026
Last observed
15 September 2026
Residual RMS
0.59 ″

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
20.05

Discovery & classification

Centaur

Sources