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Trans-Neptunian object

2020 VL40

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(2020 VL40)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
41.357 AU
True anomaly
68.1°
Distance from Earth
40.414 AU
As of
19 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 VL40 — 41.357 AU from the Sun 2020 VL40
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2020 VL40 is 40.414 AU from Earth today (5.6 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
00h 26m 20s
Declination
+03° 15′ 34″
Constellation
Pisces
Distance from Earth
40.42 AU
Elongation from the Sun
160.19° — near opposition — up most of the night

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
43.34 AU
Eccentricity
0.1003
Inclination
1.47°
Orbital period
285.3 years
Perihelion
38.993 AU
Aphelion
47.687 AU
Longitude of ascending node
202.44°
Argument of periapsis
97.25°
Epoch · J2000
2459162.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 14,779.8 LD
37.9775 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.861

Orbit quality

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

Observations used
8
Data arc
2 days
First observed
9 November 2020
Last observed
11 November 2020
Residual RMS
0.04 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
3 July 2025

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
7.76

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources