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Asteroid Near-Earth

2023 VT3

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(2023 VT3)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
0.489 AU
True anomaly
15.82°
Distance from Earth
1.432 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 2023 VT3 — 0.489 AU from the Sun 2023 VT3
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2023 VT3 is 1.432 AU from Earth today (11.9 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
14h 07m 42s
Declination
-13° 32′ 07″
Constellation
Virgo
Distance from Earth
1.43 AU
Elongation from the Sun
10.86° — 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
0.753 AU
Eccentricity
0.3567
Inclination
8.19°
Orbital period
238.8 days
Perihelion
0.485 AU
Aphelion
1.022 AU
Longitude of ascending node
44.94°
Argument of periapsis
175.73°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · ATE
Aten
Earth MOID · 10.6 LD
0.0272 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
7.612

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 7).

Observations used
46
Data arc
15 days
First observed
4 November 2023
Last observed
19 November 2023
Residual RMS
0.37 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
20 November 2023

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
26.31

Discovery & classification

Aten Near-Earth Object

Close approaches 188 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of 2023 VT3 at 2027-06-29 07:19 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2027-06-29 07:19 UTC close approach of 2023 VT3. Catalogue miss distance 183.3 LD · 7.05 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2027-06-26 to 2027-07-02, 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. The path is a geocentric ecliptic ephemeris from JPL Horizons. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate. Sun 183.3 LD · 7.05 × 10⁷ km 2027-06-29 07:19 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2027-06-29 07:19 UTC close approach of 2023 VT3. Catalogue miss distance 183.3 LD · 7.05 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2027-06-26 to 2027-07-02, 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. 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
2027-06-13 22:35:00 Merc 0.0348 AU 13.5 LD 10.6 km/s
2027-06-13 22:35:00 Mercury 0.0348 AU 13.5 LD 10.6 km/s
2027-06-29 07:19:00 Earth 0.4711 AU 183.3 LD 15 km/s
2027-11-22 04:33:00 Earth 0.374 AU 145.5 LD 19.8 km/s
2031-11-22 07:20:00 Venus 0.1146 AU 44.6 LD 8.4 km/s
2032-01-09 18:53:00 Mercury 0.0333 AU 13.0 LD 10.4 km/s
2032-01-09 18:53:00 Merc 0.0333 AU 13.0 LD 10.4 km/s
2034-02-01 02:07:00 Venus 0.0613 AU 23.9 LD 12.7 km/s
2035-03-30 09:29:00 Earth 0.4964 AU 193.2 LD 18.6 km/s
2036-10-15 12:43:00 Earth 0.3052 AU 118.8 LD 17.4 km/s

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

Sources