Skip to content
Public Universe
Asteroid Near-Earth

2003 HM

Add to an observing list or journal →

(2003 HM)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
1.017 AU
True anomaly
163.15°
Distance from Earth
2.008 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 2003 HM — 1.017 AU from the Sun 2003 HM
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2003 HM is 2.008 AU from Earth today (16.7 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
13h 47m 55s
Declination
-11° 53′ 44″
Constellation
Virgo
Distance from Earth
2.01 AU
Elongation from the Sun
4.16° — too close to the Sun to observe

Visible from both hemispheres.

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
0.814 AU
Eccentricity
0.2696
Inclination
26.27°
Orbital period
268.1 days
Perihelion
0.594 AU
Aphelion
1.033 AU
Longitude of ascending node
30.44°
Argument of periapsis
19.36°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · ATE
Aten
Earth MOID · 2.8 LD
0.0073 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
7.077

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
147
Data arc
22.05 years
First observed
23 April 2003
Last observed
10 May 2025
Residual RMS
0.3 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
10 May 2025

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
22.11

Discovery & classification

Aten Near-Earth Object

Close approaches 51 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of 2003 HM at 2036-04-20 04:00 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2036-04-20 04:00 UTC close approach of 2003 HM. Catalogue miss distance 51.2 LD · 1.97 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2036-04-17 to 2036-04-23, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. At closest approach the object is north of the ecliptic. The path is a geocentric ecliptic ephemeris from JPL Horizons. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate. Sun 51.2 LD · 1.97 × 10⁷ km 2036-04-20 04:00 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2036-04-20 04:00 UTC close approach of 2003 HM. Catalogue miss distance 51.2 LD · 1.97 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2036-04-17 to 2036-04-23, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. At closest approach the object is north of the ecliptic. The path is a geocentric ecliptic ephemeris from JPL Horizons. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate.

JPL Horizons

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2028-08-27 18:11:00 Venus 0.1268 AU 49.3 LD 17.9 km/s
2032-04-23 06:23:00 Venus 0.1356 AU 52.8 LD 18.8 km/s
2036-04-20 04:00:00 Earth 0.1315 AU 51.2 LD 15 km/s
2047-04-21 13:41:00 Earth 0.1905 AU 74.1 LD 16 km/s
2050-04-23 11:52:00 Earth 0.1514 AU 58.9 LD 13.4 km/s
2051-05-29 07:48:00 Venus 0.1163 AU 45.3 LD 18 km/s
2061-04-21 23:50:00 Earth 0.0972 AU 37.8 LD 13.2 km/s
2070-07-01 22:19:00 Venus 0.1417 AU 55.1 LD 17.9 km/s
2072-04-20 23:41:00 Earth 0.0549 AU 21.4 LD 13.2 km/s
2074-02-24 06:18:00 Venus 0.1252 AU 48.7 LD 18.5 km/s

Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.

Sources