What is Flarient.com?

Flarient.com manages 5 data types including alert logs. Helps you organize, track, and share your work in 1 place for teams and solo users.

What is the Flarient Mission Lab?

The Mission Lab is an asteroid observation planning tool. It shows upcoming close-approaching near-Earth objects, estimates their brightness and telescope requirements, and links you to NASA JPL Horizons system for precise ephemeris data so you can plan an observation campaign.

How do I plan an asteroid observation?

Find an asteroid from the timeline below that is bright enough for your equipment. Click through to its detail page for orbital parameters, then use the JPL Horizons link to generate an ephemeris table for your exact location and time. The ephemeris will tell you exactly where to point your telescope.

What telescope do I need to observe asteroids?

Most close-approaching NEOs are faint (magnitude 15–20). A 6-inch (150mm) telescope can reach magnitude 14–15 under dark skies. For magnitude 16–18, you need an 8–10 inch (200–250mm) scope or CCD imaging. The brightest approaches (magnitude < 12) can be seen with a small 90mm scope.

What is NASA JPL Horizons?

JPL Horizons is NASA solar system ephemeris computation service. It generates precise positions for asteroids, planets, and spacecraft for any time and location. It is the gold standard for observation planning and is free to use.

Mission Lab

Plan your asteroid observation campaigns with NASA JPL data.

Upcoming approaches

Observable

13.0

Brightest mag

Brightest Observable Target

2026 TS

Approach: 18 Oct 2026 · in 12d

13.0

apparent mag

Distance

1. Choose your target. Pick an asteroid from the timeline above with a magnitude within your telescope reach. The telescope column tells you the minimum aperture needed.

2. Generate an ephemeris. Click the Horizons link to open NASA JPL ephemeris generator. Enter your coordinates and the approach date to get precise positions (RA/Dec) for your location.

3. Plan your session. NEOs move quickly against the star field — up to several arcminutes per minute during close approach. Use short exposures and stack images. The best viewing window is around midnight when the asteroid is highest in the sky.

4. Report your observation. After your session, report what you saw on the Flarient Signal Network to contribute to community observations.

Report an observation All near-Earth objects

JPL Mission Design Tools

NASA JPL provides free mission design and analysis tools for asteroid observation campaigns.

Small-Body Database Browser

Search asteroids, view orbital elements and physical parameters

Mission Design Tool

Compute spacecraft trajectories to small bodies

Sentry Impact Monitoring

Long-term impact risk assessment for known NEOs

Small-Body Close-Approach Finder

Find close approaches by date, distance, and H magnitude

Mission Lab

Brightest Observable Target

2026 TS

Mission Timeline

2026 TC2

2026 TY1

2026 TQ1

2026 TX

2022 UP6

2026 TS

2025 UK9

2019 XF2

Observation Planning Guide

JPL Mission Design Tools

Frequently Asked Questions