Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 2016 WF9 in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 2016 WF9
Asteroid 2016 WF9 is in the constellation of Capricornus, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 2016 WF9 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 2016 WF9 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 2016 WF9 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 2016 WF9 from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 2016 WF9 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 2016 WF9 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 2016 WF9 to Earth will happen on Sunday 31 December 2045 at a distance of 0.139344 Astronomical Units, or 20,845,601 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 2016 WF9, 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 2016 WF9 at epoch October, 16 2024 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460600.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.66484134 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 15.17758252° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.95518152 AU 142,893,122 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
4.74469515 AU 709,796,293 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
2.84993834 AU 426,344,708 km |
| Orbital period | period |
4.8113 years 1,757.3231 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | October 2, 2026 2,461,315.5411 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 342.89250683482° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 125.15859497613° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 213.51880183399° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.20485703°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 2016 WF9 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 2016 WF9 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 | 21h 49m 16s | -16° 42’ 00” | 26.04 | Capricornus |
| Jul 11 2025 | 21h 48m 44s | -16° 47’ 09” | 26.02 | Capricornus |
| Jul 12 2025 | 21h 48m 11s | -16° 52’ 23” | 26.00 | Capricornus |
| Jul 13 2025 | 21h 47m 37s | -16° 57’ 42” | 25.98 | Capricornus |
| Jul 14 2025 | 21h 47m 01s | -17° 03’ 06” | 25.96 | Capricornus |
| Jul 15 2025 | 21h 46m 25s | -17° 08’ 35” | 25.94 | Capricornus |
| Jul 16 2025 | 21h 45m 48s | -17° 14’ 07” | 25.91 | Capricornus |
| Jul 17 2025 | 21h 45m 10s | -17° 19’ 44” | 25.89 | Capricornus |
| Jul 18 2025 | 21h 44m 31s | -17° 25’ 26” | 25.87 | Capricornus |
| Jul 19 2025 | 21h 43m 50s | -17° 31’ 12” | 25.85 | Capricornus |
| Jul 20 2025 | 21h 43m 09s | -17° 37’ 02” | 25.82 | Capricornus |
| Jul 21 2025 | 21h 42m 27s | -17° 42’ 55” | 25.80 | Capricornus |
| Jul 22 2025 | 21h 41m 44s | -17° 48’ 52” | 25.78 | Capricornus |
| Jul 23 2025 | 21h 41m 01s | -17° 54’ 52” | 25.75 | Capricornus |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 2016 WF9: Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 2016 WF9?: Key information on where to find asteroid 2016 WF9 in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 2016 WF9 from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 2016 WF9 is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 2016 WF9?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 2016 WF9 from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 2016 WF9's position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 2016 WF9's position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 2016 WF9's computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 2016 WF9 orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 2016 WF9 with respect to the major Solar System objects.