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Trans-Neptunian object

2001 FU172

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(2001 FU172)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
36.643 AU
True anomaly
91.39°
Distance from Earth
37.246 AU
As of
16 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 — 0.997 AU from the Sun Earth 2001 FU172 — 36.643 AU from the Sun 2001 FU172
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2001 FU172 is 37.246 AU from Earth today (5.2 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
16h 37m 38s
Declination
-39° 10′ 55″
Constellation
Scorpius
Distance from Earth
37.25 AU
Elongation from the Sun
51.81° — near the Sun — look low at dusk or dawn

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
39.245 AU
Eccentricity
0.2691
Inclination
24.75°
Orbital period
245.9 years
Perihelion
28.684 AU
Aphelion
49.807 AU
Longitude of ascending node
32.48°
Argument of periapsis
133.58°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 10,795.1 LD
27.7387 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
4.937

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
31
Data arc
5.18 years
First observed
22 March 2001
Last observed
26 May 2006
Residual RMS
0.26 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
14 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
8.4

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources