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Sky-Tonight.com / Asteroids / 1 Ceres
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Observation Settings

Or select it on the map:
This Earth map fragment is intended to illustrate celestial motion across the sky, emphasizing both bearing and elevational perspectives. The map's center point corresponds to the transit, showcasing celestial objects at their highest point, while elevation gradually decreases towards the map edges. This dynamic representation offers insights into the changing positions of celestial bodies with a focus on their bearing and elevational trajectories.
Your location: Santa Clara, United States
Timezone:
Latitude:
37.3541
Longitude:
-121.955

Asteroid 1 Ceres Observation Details

Ceres

Ceres Daily Motion

Ceres will reach its transit before twilight, at 14:34. By the onset of twilight at 16:58, it will be at elevation, and it will set before sunrise, at 20:30.
1 Ceres will be visible until February, 28, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

Ceres Visibility Timetable on January 30

Ceres Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 88% illuminated11:5236°
Ceres transit14:3452°
Sunset15:2750°
Civil sunset15:5647°
Astrosession begin16:5839°
Ceres set20:30
Astrosession end03:42-50°
Moon Set03:44-50°
Ceres rise08:35

Track Ceres Position Throughout the Night

← Fri, 30 January 2026 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe Ceres changing position in the night sky.

Ceres Description

Ceres, designated as 1 Ceres, is a main-belt asteroid, located between Mars and Jupiter in the solar system. With a diameter of 940 km, 1 Ceres completes its orbit around the Sun in 4.6 years. At the moment, 1 Ceres is 3.142 AU (470,036,510 km) from Earth, and it is located in the constellation Cetus.

Current position of Ceres in Solar System

Earth Ceres
DateFri, 30 January 2026
Distance from Earth to Ceres3.146 AU (470,634,901km)
Elongation65°
Angular diameter"
Magnitude9.09
This section provides an interactive projection of the solar system, illustrating the relative positions of Ceres, Earth, and the Sun throughout the year. By sliding the image left or right, you can change the day of the year, observing how the positions of Ceres and Earth shift in their orbits around the Sun.

Finder Chart for Ceres

Double-click to unlock the map.
Object name1 Ceres
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
1 Ceres coordinates1.0588341190349, -1.0119320237123
Center coordinates1.0588341190349, -1.0119320237123

Annual motion of Ceres

Time
DateFri, 30 January 2026
Twighlight start16:54
Twighlight end03:37
Twighlight duration11h 43m
Rise08:34
Set20:27
Elevation at transit52°
Transit time14:31
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 01h 04m 34s", Dec: 00° 50' 51s
Magnitude9
ConstellationCetus
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a Ceres, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the Ceres is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Astrometric & Physical Parameters of 1 Ceres

Coordinates & Visibility

Right Ascension1.0588341190349°
Declination-1.0119320237123°
Magnitude9.09
ConstellationCetus
Elevation-0.1°
Azimuth-91.2°

Physical properties

Mean radius in kilometres476.2
Equatorial radius in kilometres487
Polar radius in kilometres455
Boby mass in kg9.393E+20
Body volume in km34210000000
Body density in g.cm32.161
Surface gravity in m.s-20.28
Escape speed in m.s-1510
Axial tilt3
Mean temperature in K168

Orbital Parameters

Sideral orbital time for body around another one (the Sun or a planet) in earth day1681.63
Sideral rotation, necessary time to turn around itself, in hour9.07

Data Acknowledgment

Our solar system data—including planetary physical and orbital parameters—comes from the Solar System OpenData API , maintained by Le Système Solaire. We thank Christophe and the contributors for making this open data available.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for providing essential data on asteroids and comets through their Small-Body Database (SBDB) and Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). Their continuous efforts in tracking and cataloging these celestial bodies make it possible to offer accurate and up-to-date information on their positions, orbits, and physical characteristics.