What telescope do I need to see Irene?

At magnitude 8.6, Irene is within reach of a 3-inch (80 mm) telescope from a moderate-Bortle site.

Irene — Asteroide en Sagittarius

14 Irene

Asteroid Sagittarius Visible

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

Mapa Estelar Sistema Solar 3D + Lista + Plan

Propiedades

Magnitud 8.6

Descripción

Type: Asteroid

Distance: 2.588 AU

Orbital Period: 1520.6 days

Diameter: 152 km

Greek goddess of peace; S-type; reaches mag 8.6 at perihelic oppositions, near the binocular limit.

Posición e Identificadores

RA 18h 04m 09.6s

Dec -20° 03' 31.9"

Constelación Sagittarius

Catálogo Irene

Wikipedia

Propiedades Físicas

Diámetro 152 km

Masa 5.6e18 kg

Albedo 0.16 (16% reflected)

Rotación 15.0 hours

Tamaño angular 0.1″ (current)

Propiedades orbitales

Semieje mayor 2.5879 AU (387.1 million km)

Excentricidad 0.1627

Inclinación 9.13°

Período orbital 4.16 years

Distancia 1.605 AU (13.4 light-min)

Elongación 128.8° 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.