2025-11-03, 07:09 PM
CNEOS predicts that the medium-sized NEO, (3361) Orpheus, will make a close approach on 2025-Nov-19 01:27±<00:01 UT at a distance of 0.03792 AU moving with V Relative=9.08 km/sec, H=19.5 magnitude, diameter 0.3 km and ''Rarity'=1. As of November 2 there is a 15898 day observation arc, the Condition Code=0 and the Earth MOID=0.0146456 AU. The solution date was 2025-Nov-02 05:20:33 PST. (3361) Orpheus was discovered on 1982-04-24 by Torres, C. at Cerro El Roble. This is the closest approach to earth until the approach on 2091-Apr-18 22:50 ± < 00:01 UT at a distance of 0.02113 AU. This NEO is on MPC's list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) that you can download using SkyTools.
Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2025 Nov 3 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.18 Visual Pro predicts that (3361) Orpheus will reach a peak brightness of 14.7 magnitude on the morning of 2025 November 14 when the NEO will be 0.05 AU distant traveling through Lepus at 14"/minute. Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2025 November 18 at 2000 EST with the the NEO 0.04 AU distant traveling through Puppis at 20.4"/minute and 15.3 magnitude, but below the horizon in Columbus, Ohio. (3361) Orpheus is currently 15.5 magnitude in Taurus, 0.09 AU distant.
Here's the Object Info dialog for (3361) Orpheus:
The orbit for this object is well defined and it won't pass too close-by so elements from the MPC at Today's Epoch may be accurate enough to find this NEO.
Good hunting,
Phil S.
Using MPC's orbital elements for the epoch 2025 Nov 3 0000 UT, ST4.1.11.18 Visual Pro predicts that (3361) Orpheus will reach a peak brightness of 14.7 magnitude on the morning of 2025 November 14 when the NEO will be 0.05 AU distant traveling through Lepus at 14"/minute. Close approach is predicted (to the nearest hour) on 2025 November 18 at 2000 EST with the the NEO 0.04 AU distant traveling through Puppis at 20.4"/minute and 15.3 magnitude, but below the horizon in Columbus, Ohio. (3361) Orpheus is currently 15.5 magnitude in Taurus, 0.09 AU distant.
Here's the Object Info dialog for (3361) Orpheus:
The orbit for this object is well defined and it won't pass too close-by so elements from the MPC at Today's Epoch may be accurate enough to find this NEO.
Good hunting,
Phil S.