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Trans-Neptunian object

Varuna

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(20000) Varuna

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Where is it now

Distance from Sun
44.271 AU
True anomaly
121.28°
Distance from Earth
44.524 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 Varuna — 44.271 AU from the Sun Varuna
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. Varuna is 44.524 AU from Earth today (6.2 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
09h 09m 22s
Declination
+26° 24′ 23″
Constellation
Cancer
Distance from Earth
44.52 AU
Elongation from the Sun
75.19° — 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
43.2 AU
Eccentricity
0.0516
Inclination
17.14°
Orbital period
283.9 years
Perihelion
40.97 AU
Aphelion
45.43 AU
Longitude of ascending node
97.22°
Argument of periapsis
273.36°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 15,572.5 LD
40.0145 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.62

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
1,364
Data arc
71.29 years
First observed
24 November 1954
Last observed
9 March 2026
Residual RMS
0.45 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
5 June 2026

Physical properties

Mean radius
450 km
Rotation period
6.34 hours

Visual & observation

Geometric albedo
0.07
Absolute magnitude (H)
3.79

Discovery & classification

Discovered by
Spacewatch
Discovery date
28 November 2000
Discovery site
Kitt Peak

Varuna is one of the oldest of the vedic deities, the maker and upholder of heaven and earth. As such he is king of gods and men and the universe, and he has unlimited knowledge. The name was suggested by M. Sarabhai.

Also known as 20000 · 2000 WR106 · 20000 Varuna (2000 WR106)

Named TNO

Sources