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Trans-Neptunian object

1997 RY6

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(1997 RY6)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
41.36 AU
True anomaly
181.44°
Distance from Earth
40.413 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 1997 RY6 — 41.36 AU from the Sun 1997 RY6
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 1997 RY6 is 40.413 AU from Earth today (5.6 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
02h 04m 34s
Declination
+25° 58′ 22″
Constellation
Aries
Distance from Earth
40.41 AU
Elongation from the Sun
162.15° — near opposition — up most of the night

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
41.359 AU
Eccentricity
0
Inclination
12.45°
Orbital period
266 years
Perihelion
41.359 AU
Aphelion
41.36 AU
Longitude of ascending node
318.48°
Argument of periapsis
258°
Epoch · J2000
2450719.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 15,701.2 LD
40.3451 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.632

Orbit quality

Orbit very uncertain — the object may be effectively lost (uncertainty code 8).

Observations used
20
Data arc
53 days
First observed
6 September 1997
Last observed
29 October 1997
Residual RMS
0.54 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
14 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
7.5

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources