Asteroids & Dwarf Planets

Live positions and brightness for the brightest minor planets, dwarf planets, and featured near-Earth objects.

Dwarf Planets

Bodies massive enough to be round but that haven't cleared their orbital neighbourhood. Ceres reaches binocular range near opposition; Pluto, Makemake and Haumea need a large telescope; Eris, the most distant, is reachable only with the largest amateur instruments.

Ceres Taurus

mag 8.4

4h 21m · +18.8° · 3.71 AU

Star Map 3D

Pluto Scorpius

mag 14.8

16h 45m · -11.1° · 35.10 AU

Star Map 3D

Makemake Virgo

mag 17.0

13h 22m · +21.0° · 52.47 AU

Star Map 3D

Haumea Libra

mag 17.1

14h 38m · +14.7° · 49.23 AU

Star Map 3D

Eris Pisces

mag 18.6

1h 49m · +0.1° · 96.00 AU

Star Map 3D

Featured Near-Earth Objects

Asteroids whose orbits bring them inside Earth's neighbourhood. Apophis makes the closest approach by a large NEO in modern history on April 13, 2029.

Eros Leo

mag —

10h 51m · -7.9° · 1.08 AU from Earth

Star Map 3D

Didymos Scorpius

mag —

16h 36m · -22.7° · 0.92 AU from Earth

Star Map 3D

Apophis Cancer

mag —

8h 06m · +18.6° · 1.75 AU from Earth

Star Map 3D 2029 Approach

Itokawa Taurus

mag —

4h 00m · +20.2° · 2.59 AU from Earth

Star Map 3D

Main-Belt Asteroids

The brightest numbered minor planets. Vesta and Ceres can reach naked-eye visibility at perihelic oppositions; the rest are binocular and small-telescope targets.

#	Name	Mag	Constellation	RA	Dec	Dist	Diameter [km]	Next Opposition	Actions
1	Vesta	7.0	Pisces	0h 56m	-0.7°	2.46 AU	525	Oct 12, 2026 in 119d	3D
2	Melpomene	8.9	Sagittarius	19h 23m	-8.4°	1.33 AU	140	Jul 8, 2026 in 23d	3D
3	Flora	9.0	Capricornus	19h 36m	-19.8°	1.36 AU	146	Jul 9, 2026 in 23d	3D
4	Irene	9.0	Sagittarius	17h 32m	-22.7°	1.43 AU	152	—	3D
5	Pallas	9.1	Pisces	0h 53m	+3.8°	3.24 AU	544	Oct 4, 2026 in 110d	3D
6	Juno	9.3	Capricornus	20h 35m	-3.6°	2.12 AU	234	Jul 26, 2026 in 41d	3D
7	Amphitrite	9.3	Scorpius	15h 57m	-29.7°	1.77 AU	190	—	3D
8	Bamberga	9.4	Capricornus	21h 03m	-27.7°	1.44 AU	230	Jul 28, 2026 in 42d	3D
9	Nausikaa	9.6	Aquarius	23h 40m	-5.3°	1.66 AU	99	Sep 29, 2026 in 106d	3D
10	Metis	9.8	Aquarius	22h 53m	-13.9°	2.04 AU	173	Aug 28, 2026 in 73d	3D
11	Hebe	9.9	Gemini	5h 40m	+15.3°	3.15 AU	195	—	3D
12	Iris	9.9	Leo	10h 41m	+2.6°	2.77 AU	200	—	3D
13	Eunomia	10.0	Virgo	11h 34m	-11.1°	2.88 AU	270	—	3D
14	Massalia	10.0	Virgo	11h 57m	+0.2°	2.11 AU	136	—	3D
15	Egeria	10.3	Libra	13h 21m	-8.1°	1.97 AU	208	—	3D
16	Interamnia	10.8	Libra	13h 39m	-29.3°	2.72 AU	332	—	3D
17	Parthenope	10.8	Leo	10h 47m	+11.7°	2.72 AU	143	—	3D
18	Euterpe	10.9	Taurus	3h 53m	+19.5°	2.91 AU	96	—	3D
19	Julia	11.0	Taurus	4h 27m	+32.4°	3.25 AU	145	—	3D
20	Hygiea	11.1	Gemini	7h 25m	+21.2°	4.16 AU	433	—	3D
21	Herculina	11.1	Pisces	1h 38m	-5.3°	3.58 AU	222	Oct 17, 2026 in 123d	3D
22	Psyche	11.1	Gemini	7h 18m	+20.9°	3.81 AU	222	—	3D
23	Davida	11.2	Leo	10h 59m	+22.0°	3.21 AU	311	—	3D
24	Kalliope	11.3	Taurus	4h 03m	+18.6°	3.54 AU	167	—	3D
25	Doris	11.3	Scorpius	16h 34m	-13.1°	2.34 AU	222	—	3D
26	Europe	11.4	Gemini	6h 21m	+20.6°	3.74 AU	315	—	3D
27	Astraea	11.4	Aquarius	22h 53m	-7.3°	2.67 AU	107	Aug 28, 2026 in 74d	3D
28	Fortuna	11.5	Virgo	11h 21m	+3.5°	2.68 AU	200	—	3D
29	Thisbe	11.8	Leo	10h 52m	+1.6°	3.03 AU	232	—	3D
30	Euphrosyne	12.0	Sagittarius	18h 37m	-54.6°	2.95 AU	268	—	3D
31	Pomona	12.2	Gemini	7h 24m	+18.0°	3.40 AU	81	—	3D
32	Victoria	12.3	Gemini	6h 04m	+19.6°	3.74 AU	115	—	3D
33	Eugenia	12.5	Gemini	7h 22m	+19.6°	3.69 AU	215	—	3D
34	Sylvia	13.1	Gemini	7h 15m	+28.0°	4.61 AU	261	—	3D

Upcoming Oppositions

Asteroid oppositions in the next nine months. At opposition the body rises at sunset, transits at midnight, and is at its closest and brightest for the year.

Date	Body	Constellation	Details
Jul 8, 2026 in 23 d	Melpomene	Capricornus	Magnitude 8.6, distance 1.21 AU
Jul 9, 2026 in 23 d	Flora	Capricornus	Magnitude 8.7, distance 1.25 AU
Jul 26, 2026 in 41 d	Juno	Aquarius	Magnitude 8.8, distance 1.80 AU
Jul 28, 2026 in 42 d	Bamberga	Aquarius	Magnitude 8.6, distance 1.09 AU
Aug 28, 2026 in 73 d	Metis	Pisces	Magnitude 8.9, distance 1.40 AU
Aug 28, 2026 in 74 d	Astraea	Pisces	Magnitude 10.8, distance 2.03 AU
Sep 29, 2026 in 106 d	Nausikaa	Pisces	Magnitude 7.9, distance 0.82 AU
Oct 4, 2026 in 110 d	Pallas	Pisces	Magnitude 7.7, distance 1.86 AU
Oct 12, 2026 in 119 d	Vesta	Pisces	Magnitude 6.0, distance 1.48 AU
Oct 17, 2026 in 123 d	Herculina	Aries	Magnitude 10.1, distance 2.29 AU

Positions and magnitudes computed from JPL orbital elements at page load. Oppositions precomputed daily.