Skip to content
Public Universe
Trans-Neptunian object

2020 MA53

Add to an observing list or journal →

(2020 MA53)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
29.737 AU
True anomaly
33.42°
Distance from Earth
29.594 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 2020 MA53 — 29.737 AU from the Sun 2020 MA53
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2020 MA53 is 29.594 AU from Earth today (4.1 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
20h 14m 15s
Declination
-18° 15′ 55″
Constellation
Capricornus
Distance from Earth
29.6 AU
Elongation from the Sun
96.77° — well clear of the Sun

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
40.693 AU
Eccentricity
0.2969
Inclination
2.11°
Orbital period
259.6 years
Perihelion
28.612 AU
Aphelion
52.774 AU
Longitude of ascending node
170.91°
Argument of periapsis
99.24°
Epoch · J2000
2459043.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 10,739.8 LD
27.5966 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.465

Orbit quality

Orbit very uncertain — the object may be effectively lost (uncertainty code 9).

Observations used
15
Data arc
56 days
First observed
20 June 2020
Last observed
15 August 2020
Residual RMS
0.02 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
24 April 2023

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
9.72

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources