Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 1979 XB in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 1979 XB
Asteroid 1979 XB is in the constellation of Cetus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 1979 XB in the sky. Click on each chart to access the interactive star map tool.
The following map uses photographic imagery from the Digitized Sky Survey (DSS) to realistically visualize the precise position of asteroid 1979 XB against the stars in the background. The horizontal size of the map measures 60 arcminutes. Click on the image to access a more detailed full-screen view.
Equatorial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
Rise and Set Times
The following table lists today's rise, transit and set times of asteroid 1979 XB from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Distance from Earth
The distance of asteroid 1979 XB from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 1979 XB from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance is measured in Astronomical Units and the data is sampled with an interval of 1 day.
Note: The values in this chart may not be entirely accurate around the time of closest approach for objects passing very close to Earth at high speed (e.g., Near-Earth Objects).
The value of the distance of 1979 XB from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the live position tracker.
Closest Approach to Earth
In the period between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2099, the closest approach of asteroid 1979 XB to Earth will happen on Wednesday 10 December 2092 at a distance of 0.062426 Astronomical Units, or 9,338,740 kilometers:
Note: the values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
The following chart shows the light curve of asteroid 1979 XB, i.e., its apparent magnitude as a function of time. The curve is calculated using the latest ephemerides provided by JPL Horizons. The magnitude data is sampled with the interval of 2 days. Because of this sampling, inaccuracies may occur for objects that have large variations of brightness over a few days. For comets, large discrepancies can arise between the calculated brightness and the observations due to their highly dynamic, and not always precisely predictable, behavior.
Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of asteroid 1979 XB at epoch December, 13 1979 00:00 UTC (JD: 2444221.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.70844951 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 24.73412122° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.64959947 AU 97,178,698 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
3.80657184 AU 569,455,043 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.22808566 AU 333,316,871 km |
| Orbital period | period |
3.3259 years 1,214.7761 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | January 29, 1980 2,444,267.6670 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | May 27, 1983 2,445,482.4431 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 75.579898280515° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 86.055503094738° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 346.31837437011° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.29635090°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 1979 XB relative to the other major objects in the Solar System. You can access more advanced features using our 3D Solar System Viewer.
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of asteroid 1979 XB computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10 2025 | 01h 38m 43s | -17° 48’ 59” | 24.83 | Cetus |
| Jul 11 2025 | 01h 39m 14s | -17° 53’ 14” | 24.82 | Cetus |
| Jul 12 2025 | 01h 39m 44s | -17° 57’ 37” | 24.80 | Cetus |
| Jul 13 2025 | 01h 40m 14s | -18° 02’ 10” | 24.79 | Cetus |
| Jul 14 2025 | 01h 40m 43s | -18° 06’ 51” | 24.78 | Cetus |
| Jul 15 2025 | 01h 41m 11s | -18° 11’ 42” | 24.76 | Cetus |
| Jul 16 2025 | 01h 41m 38s | -18° 16’ 42” | 24.75 | Cetus |
| Jul 17 2025 | 01h 42m 04s | -18° 21’ 50” | 24.74 | Cetus |
| Jul 18 2025 | 01h 42m 30s | -18° 27’ 08” | 24.72 | Cetus |
| Jul 19 2025 | 01h 42m 54s | -18° 32’ 35” | 24.71 | Cetus |
| Jul 20 2025 | 01h 43m 18s | -18° 38’ 12” | 24.69 | Cetus |
| Jul 21 2025 | 01h 43m 40s | -18° 43’ 57” | 24.68 | Cetus |
| Jul 22 2025 | 01h 44m 02s | -18° 49’ 51” | 24.67 | Cetus |
| Jul 23 2025 | 01h 44m 23s | -18° 55’ 55” | 24.65 | Cetus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 1979 XB: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 1979 XB?: Key information on where to find asteroid 1979 XB in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 1979 XB from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 1979 XB is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 1979 XB?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 1979 XB from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 1979 XB's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 1979 XB's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 1979 XB's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 1979 XB orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 1979 XB with respect to the major Solar System objects.