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Doris — Asteroid in Ophiuchus

48 Doris

Asteroid Ophiuchus Visible
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Properties

Magnitude 10.4
Type: Asteroid
Distance: 3.113 AU
Orbital Period: 2006.0 days
Diameter: 222 km
Sea-nymph daughter of Oceanus; C-type, low albedo, outer-belt orbit at 3.11 AU.

Position & Identifiers

RA 17h 06m 08.3s
Dec -14° 56' 46.9"
Constellation Ophiuchus
Catalog Doris

Physical Properties

Diameter 222 km
Mass 1.0e19 kg
Albedo 0.06 (6% reflected)
Rotation 11.9 hours
Angular Size 0.1″ (current)

Orbital Properties

Semi-major Axis 3.1129 AU (465.7 million km)
Eccentricity 0.0663
Inclination 6.56°
Orbital Period 5.49 years
Distance 2.462 AU (20.5 light-min)
Elongation 142.3° 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.

12.0MayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprpeak 11.3 · 4 JunnowMagnitude↑ brighter

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.

Observing Tips

Best Months June , July , August
Visibility Telescope
Where to Look In asteroid belt
Notes Sea-nymph daughter of Oceanus; C-type, low albedo, outer-belt orbit at 3.11 AU.

Discovery

Discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt
Date 1857-09-19

Current Ephemeris

2.462
AU from Earth
368.4M
km
0.1
Angular Size
142°
Elongation

How easy to spot?

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Telescope Bortle 3 Bortle 4 Bortle 5
80mm refr. Medium Hard+ Hard
150mm Newt. Medium+ Medium+ Medium
C8 203mm Easy Medium+ Medium+
Easy Medium Hard Very hard Impossible

Bortle 3 = rural · 4 = outer suburbs · 5 = suburbs

Medium on Seestar S50

Visibility

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Community Photos (1)

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

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

Credit: Nightbase orrery render.

Skybred Apr 27, 2026

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