Skip to content
Public Universe
Trans-Neptunian object

2017 BW263

Add to an observing list or journal →

(2017 BW263)

2017 BW263 is a trans-Neptunian object in the Trans-Neptunian object orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 41.46 AU to 51.83 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 318.6 years. Orbit from the JPL solution of 17 September 2025.

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
43.339 AU
True anomaly
55.51°
Distance from Earth
44.008 AU
As of
24 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 — 0.994 AU from the Sun Earth 2017 BW263 — 43.339 AU from the Sun 2017 BW263
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2017 BW263 is 44.008 AU from Earth today (6.1 light-hours).

In the sky

Right ascension
10h 48m 34s
Declination
-03° 54′ 47″
Constellation
Sextans
Distance from Earth
44 AU
Elongation from the Sun
47.86° — near the Sun — look low at dusk or dawn

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
46.645 AU
Eccentricity
0.1112
Inclination
14.92°
Orbital period
318.6 years
Perihelion
41.458 AU
Aphelion
51.832 AU
Longitude of ascending node
298.42°
Argument of periapsis
171.12°
Epoch · J2000
2457796.5
Orbit class · TNO
Trans-Neptunian object
Earth MOID · 15,751.8 LD
40.4751 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
5.862

Orbit quality

Orbit very uncertain — the object may be effectively lost (uncertainty code 8).

Observations used
21
Data arc
63 days
First observed
21 January 2017
Last observed
25 March 2017
Residual RMS
0.37 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
17 September 2025

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
9.47

Discovery & classification

TNO

Sources