What telescope do I need to see Amphitrite?

At magnitude 9.0, Amphitrite is within reach of a 3-inch (80 mm) telescope from a moderate-Bortle site.

Amphitrite — Asteroid in Ophiuchus

29 Amphitrite

Asteroid Ophiuchus Sichtbar

Rendered preview of Amphitrite from the Nightbase orrery, lit from the current Sun direction with the terminator visible.

Sternkarte 3D-Sonnensystem + Liste + Plan

Eigenschaften

Helligkeit 9.0

Beschreibung

Type: Asteroid

Distance: 2.554 AU

Orbital Period: 1490.9 days

Diameter: 190 km

Greek goddess of the sea, wife of Poseidon; S-type; one of the brightest minor planets at opposition (typical mag 9.0).

Position & Bezeichnungen

RA 16h 42m 01.4s

Dec -30° 29' 06.2"

Sternbild Ophiuchus

Katalog Amphitrite

Wikipedia

Physikalische Eigenschaften

Durchmesser 190 km

Masse 8.9e18 kg

Albedo 0.22 (22% reflected)

Rotation 5.4 hours

Winkeldurchmesser 0.1″ (current)

Bahneigenschaften

Große Halbachse 2.5541 AU (382.1 million km)

Exzentrizität 0.0734

Bahnneigung 6.08°

Umlaufzeit 4.08 years

Entfernung 1.848 AU (15.4 light-min)

Elongation 146.0° Good

Brightness Forecast (next 12 months)

Apparent magnitude as Earth–asteroid distance changes through the year. The peak marks the brightest moment in the window — usually around opposition, when the asteroid is closest and fully illuminated.

Computed from JPL orbital elements via m = H + 5·log₁₀(r·Δ). Phase-function correction is omitted, so curves trace distance variation only — accurate within a few tenths for main-belt asteroids; coarse for fast-moving NEOs near Earth.