Chiron

Chiron — centaur, explore its interactive 3D model in Cosmoscope.

Explore Chiron in a live 3D Solar System. Follow its calculated motion and inspect real astronomical data, distances and orbital facts.

Half asteroid, half comet: the first centaur ever found wanders between Saturn and Uranus and sometimes sprouts a faint coma. Stellar occultations hint at rings or debris around it.

Diameter

~166 km (JPL SBDB)

Discovered

1977 — Charles Kowal, Palomar

Orbit

Between Saturn and Uranus (8.5–18.9 AU)

Year

~50.6 Earth years

Also a comet

95P/Chiron — it sometimes grows a faint coma

Shape

Illustrative; not a measured shape model

Explore Chiron in 3D

Cosmoscope places Chiron in the Solar System using astronomical ephemeris or orbital elements, updated for the simulation time. Explore its calculated motion, distance and orbital facts in the interactive 3D view. Accuracy depends on the orbital model and its valid time range.