172 Baucis
Also known as (172) Baucis, Baucis
main-belt asteroid
Picture of the Day · NASA
Jupiter and Venus from Earth
2026-06-07
It was visible around the world. The sunset conjunction of Jupiter (left) and Venus (right) in 2012 was visible almost no matter where you lived on Earth. Anyone on our planet with a clear western horizon at sunset could see them. That year, a creative photographer traveled away from the town lights of Szubin, Poland to photograph a near closest approach of the two planets. The bright planets were then separated by only three degrees and his daughter struck a humorous pose. A faint red sunset still glowed in the background. Jupiter and Venus are together again this week after sunset, passing within a degree of each other about two days from today.
© Marek Nikodem (PPSAE) · via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- A. Borrelly
- Discovery date
- 5 February 1877
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ b ɔː s ɪ s /
- Named after
- Baucis
- Alternative designations
- A877 CA; 1921 EE
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
~1 min read
Article
172 Baucis is a large main belt asteroid that was discovered by French astronomer Alphonse Borrelly on February 5, 1877. It was named after a fictional character in the Greek legend of Baucis and Philemon. The adjectival form of the name is Baucidian.
This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.38 AU with an eccentricity of 0.11 and an orbital period of 3.67 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 10° to the plane of the ecliptic. Based on infrared measurements, it has a diameter of 62.43 km. It is classified as an S-type asteroid based upon its spectrum.