Find it in the Sky
Chose a date & time and view the position of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) in the sky on our interactive planetarium.
In Evidence
Asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)
Asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is in the constellation of Virgo, at a distance of
Finder Charts
The sky charts below show, at different resolutions, the position of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) from Earth is currently
The following graph shows the distance of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) to Earth will happen on Thursday 23 September 2060 at a distance of 0.005008 Astronomical Units, or 749,209 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36), 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) at epoch December, 31 2010 00:00 UTC (JD: 2455562.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.20374508 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 6.03494377° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.89689440 AU 134,173,493 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
1.35588765 AU 202,837,906 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
1.12639103 AU 168,505,699 km |
| Orbital period | period |
1.1955 years 436.6487 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | August 30, 2010 2,455,439.1419 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | November 10, 2011 2,455,875.7907 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 66.223060840843° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 2.0608661956964° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 101.70395200246° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.82446135°/day |
Orbit Visualization
The following chart is a 3D animated visualization of the orbit of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) 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 | 12h 09m 55s | -07° 07’ 09” | 23.37 | Virgo |
| Jul 11 2025 | 12h 12m 24s | -07° 24’ 02” | 23.38 | Virgo |
| Jul 12 2025 | 12h 14m 52s | -07° 40’ 50” | 23.39 | Virgo |
| Jul 13 2025 | 12h 17m 21s | -07° 57’ 34” | 23.40 | Virgo |
| Jul 14 2025 | 12h 19m 50s | -08° 14’ 14” | 23.42 | Virgo |
| Jul 15 2025 | 12h 22m 18s | -08° 30’ 50” | 23.43 | Virgo |
| Jul 16 2025 | 12h 24m 47s | -08° 47’ 23” | 23.44 | Virgo |
| Jul 17 2025 | 12h 27m 17s | -09° 03’ 50” | 23.45 | Virgo |
| Jul 18 2025 | 12h 29m 46s | -09° 20’ 14” | 23.46 | Virgo |
| Jul 19 2025 | 12h 32m 15s | -09° 36’ 33” | 23.47 | Virgo |
| Jul 20 2025 | 12h 34m 44s | -09° 52’ 50” | 23.48 | Virgo |
| Jul 21 2025 | 12h 37m 14s | -10° 09’ 01” | 23.49 | Virgo |
| Jul 22 2025 | 12h 39m 43s | -10° 25’ 09” | 23.50 | Virgo |
| Jul 23 2025 | 12h 42m 13s | -10° 41’ 12” | 23.51 | Virgo |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com.
- Where is asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)?: Key information on where to find asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) in the sky.
- Distance of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) from Earth: Find out how far asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Rise and set times of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: Planetarium-style interactive visualization of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: High precision real time tracker of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s position using deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: Information about asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization: 3D interactive visualization showing the orbit of asteroid 101955 Bennu (1999 RQ36) with respect to the major Solar System objects.