Asteroid Ceres Observation Details
Ceres Daily Motion
1 Ceres will become visible in August, 9. After being too close to the Sun to observe, it will reappear in the night sky. Starting from August, 9, 1 Ceres can be seen again, providing a good opportunity for observation.
Ceres Visibility on July 17
1 Ceres is visible in the early morning sky until sunrise
Ceres Rise and Set Timetable
| Time | Elevation | |
Moon Rise, 3.7% illuminated  | 06:36 | 58° |
| Ceres transit | 08:46 | 74° |
| Ceres set | 15:53 | |
| Astrosession begin | 20:15 | -31° |
| Moon Set | 20:18 | -31° |
| Ceres rise | 01:36 | |
| Astrosession end | 02:12 | 7° |
| Twighlight end | 02:53 | 15° |
| Civil sunrise | 03:30 | 22° |
| Sunrise | 04:02 | 28° |
Track Ceres Position Throughout the Night
← Fri, 17 July 2026 →
| 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 3.509 AU (524,983,808 km) from Earth, and it is located in the constellation Taurus.Current position of Ceres in Solar System
| Date | Fri, 17 July 2026 |
| Distance from Earth to Ceres | 3.50722 AU (524,672,644km) |
| Elongation | 35° |
| Angular diameter | " |
| Magnitude | 9 |
Finder Chart for Ceres
Double-click to unlock the map.
| Object name | 1 Ceres |
| Field of view | |
| Limiting magnitude | |
| 1 Ceres coordinates | 5.26982, 21.17422 |
| Center coordinates | 5.26982, 21.17422 |
Annual motion of Ceres
| Date | Fri, 17 July 2026 |
| Twighlight start | 20:11 |
| Twighlight end | 02:06 |
| Twighlight duration | 6h 55m |
| Rise | 01:35 |
| Set | 15:51 |
| Elevation at transit | 74° |
| Transit time | 08:43 |
| Equatorial coordinates | RA: 05h 17m 51s", Dec: 21° 13' 47s |
| Magnitude | 9 |
| Constellation | Taurus |
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. You can also view detailed visibility information in a dedicated table, including exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
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. You can also view detailed visibility information in a dedicated table, including exact rise, transit, and set times for each date.
Astrometric & Physical Parameters of 1 Ceres
Coordinates & Visibility
| Right Ascension | 5.26982° |
| Declination | 21.17422° |
| Magnitude | 9 |
| Constellation | Taurus |
| Elevation | 21.7° |
| Azimuth | 280.7° |
Physical properties
| Mean radius in kilometres | 476.2 |
| Equatorial radius in kilometres | 487 |
| Polar radius in kilometres | 455 |
| Boby mass in kg | 9.393E+20 |
| Body volume in km3 | 4210000000 |
| Body density in g.cm3 | 2.161 |
| Surface gravity in m.s-2 | 0.28 |
| Escape speed in m.s-1 | 510 |
| Axial tilt | 3 |
| Mean temperature in K | 168 |
Orbital Parameters
| Sideral orbital time for body around another one (the Sun or a planet) in earth day | 1681.63 |
| Sideral rotation, necessary time to turn around itself, in hour | 9.07 |
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.