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Trans-Neptunian object

Arrokoth

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(486958) Arrokoth

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Where is it now

Distance from Sun
43.048 AU
True anomaly
308.29°
Distance from Earth
43.097 AU
As of
21 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 — 0.995 AU from the Sun Earth Arrokoth — 43.048 AU from the Sun Arrokoth
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Arrokoth is 43.097 AU from Earth today (6.0 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
19h 46m 00s
Declination
-19° 30′ 53″
Constellation
Sagittarius
Distance from Earth
43.1 AU
Elongation from the Sun
86.5° — 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
44.053 AU
Eccentricity
0.0356
Inclination
2.45°
Orbital period
292.4 years
Perihelion
42.486 AU
Aphelion
45.619 AU
Longitude of ascending node
159.04°
Argument of periapsis
188.85°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 16,142.3 LD
41.4786 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.928

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
112
Data arc
4.11 years
First observed
26 June 2014
Last observed
4 August 2018
Residual RMS
0.02 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
21 February 2024

Physical properties

Rotation period
15.92 hours

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
11.06

Discovery & classification

Discovered by
Buie, M. W., New Horizons Search Team
Discovery date
26 June 2014
Discovery site
HST

Arrokoth is the word for “sky” from the Powhatan language of native people from the Chesapeake Bay region. Institutions in this region played a prominent role in facilitating the discovery and exploration of this ancient and distant object.

Also known as 486958 · 2014 MU69 · 486958 Arrokoth (2014 MU69)

Named TNO

Sources