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Trans-Neptunian object

1998 WZ31

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(1998 WZ31)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
36.05 AU
True anomaly
65.26°
Distance from Earth
35.976 AU
As of
17 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 1998 WZ31 — 36.05 AU from the Sun 1998 WZ31
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 1998 WZ31 is 35.976 AU from Earth today (5.0 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
07h 39m 14s
Declination
+34° 13′ 56″
Constellation
Gemini
Distance from Earth
35.97 AU
Elongation from the Sun
93.63° — 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
39.788 AU
Eccentricity
0.1708
Inclination
14.59°
Orbital period
251 years
Perihelion
32.991 AU
Aphelion
46.586 AU
Longitude of ascending node
50.51°
Argument of periapsis
354.25°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 12,453.2 LD
31.9993 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.404

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
29
Data arc
23.03 years
First observed
19 November 1998
Last observed
1 December 2021
Residual RMS
0.36 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
14 December 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
8.21

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources