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Trans-Neptunian object

2015 KO173

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(2015 KO173)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
32.808 AU
True anomaly
36.58°
Distance from Earth
33.379 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 2015 KO173 — 32.808 AU from the Sun 2015 KO173
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2015 KO173 is 33.379 AU from Earth today (4.6 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
17h 06m 41s
Declination
-22° 48′ 47″
Constellation
Ophiuchus
Distance from Earth
33.39 AU
Elongation from the Sun
53.86° — 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
39.329 AU
Eccentricity
0.1923
Inclination
13.07°
Orbital period
246.6 years
Perihelion
31.765 AU
Aphelion
46.892 AU
Longitude of ascending node
79.4°
Argument of periapsis
143.14°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 11,973.6 LD
30.7668 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.388

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 4).

Observations used
45
Data arc
3.24 years
First observed
29 May 2014
Last observed
24 August 2017
Residual RMS
0.17 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
8.8

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources