Skip to content
Public Universe
Asteroid Near-Earth

2012 XS111

Add to an observing list or journal →

(2012 XS111)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
0.611 AU
True anomaly
264.19°
Distance from Earth
1.491 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 2012 XS111 — 0.611 AU from the Sun 2012 XS111
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2012 XS111 is 1.491 AU from Earth today (12.4 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
12h 31m 02s
Declination
+00° 00′ 03″
Constellation
Virgo
Distance from Earth
1.49 AU
Elongation from the Sun
16.82° — 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
0.773 AU
Eccentricity
0.4996
Inclination
7.62°
Orbital period
248.4 days
Perihelion
0.387 AU
Aphelion
1.16 AU
Longitude of ascending node
62.14°
Argument of periapsis
192.06°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · ATE
Aten
Earth MOID · 18.4 LD
0.0473 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
7.391

Orbit quality

Orbit very well determined (uncertainty code 0).

Observations used
123
Data arc
13.03 years
First observed
10 December 2012
Last observed
20 December 2025
Residual RMS
0.49 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
28 July 2026

Physical properties

Rotation period
2.14 hours

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
22.12

Discovery & classification

Aten Near-Earth Object

Close approaches 238 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of 2012 XS111 at 2028-01-05 05:07 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2028-01-05 05:07 UTC close approach of 2012 XS111. Catalogue miss distance 42.3 LD · 1.62 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2028-01-02 to 2028-01-08, 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 42.3 LD · 1.62 × 10⁷ km 2028-01-05 05:07 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2028-01-05 05:07 UTC close approach of 2012 XS111. Catalogue miss distance 42.3 LD · 1.62 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2028-01-02 to 2028-01-08, 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
2028-01-05 05:07:00 Earth 0.1086 AU 42.3 LD 11.9 km/s
2028-11-26 23:07:00 Mercury 0.0802 AU 31.2 LD 19.8 km/s
2028-11-26 23:07:00 Merc 0.0802 AU 31.2 LD 19.8 km/s
2029-12-09 20:11:00 Earth 0.1771 AU 68.9 LD 11.1 km/s
2031-11-13 01:31:00 Earth 0.1153 AU 44.9 LD 11.3 km/s
2032-12-17 00:17:00 Merc 0.0302 AU 11.7 LD 21.3 km/s
2032-12-17 00:17:00 Mercury 0.0302 AU 11.7 LD 21.3 km/s
2033-11-04 06:16:00 Earth 0.1017 AU 39.6 LD 16.4 km/s
2035-08-10 21:47:00 Venus 0.0841 AU 32.7 LD 21.6 km/s
2036-05-31 06:38:00 Merc 0.0035 AU 1.3 LD 23.6 km/s

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

Sources