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Trans-Neptunian object

2015 VN169

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(2015 VN169)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
43.321 AU
True anomaly
118.86°
Distance from Earth
42.521 AU
As of
18 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 2015 VN169 — 43.321 AU from the Sun 2015 VN169
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2015 VN169 is 42.521 AU from Earth today (5.9 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
04h 02m 26s
Declination
+18° 57′ 57″
Constellation
Taurus
Distance from Earth
42.51 AU
Elongation from the Sun
143.86° — well clear of the Sun

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
42.722 AU
Eccentricity
0.0305
Inclination
6.16°
Orbital period
279.2 years
Perihelion
41.419 AU
Aphelion
44.026 AU
Longitude of ascending node
77.16°
Argument of periapsis
225.44°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 15,724.8 LD
40.4058 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.817

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 5).

Observations used
34
Data arc
533 days
First observed
12 August 2015
Last observed
26 January 2017
Residual RMS
0.16 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
15 April 2021

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
8.3

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources