188 Menippe

Also known as (188) Menippe, Menippe

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.

Key facts

Discovered by: C. H. F. Peters , 1878
Discovery date: 18 June 1878
Pronunciation: / m ɛ ˈ n ɪ p iː /
Alternative designations: A878 MA; 1897 QA;, 1948 WQ
Minor planet category: Main belt
Observation arc: 100.84 yr (36833 d)

Article

188 Menippe is a main belt asteroid. The object has a bright surface and rocky composition. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on June 18, 1878, in Clinton, New York. The asteroid was named named after Menippe, one of the daughters of Orion in Greek mythology.

This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.76 AU with a moderate eccentricity of 0.178 and an orbital period of 4.59 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 11.7° to the plane of the ecliptic. Based on infrared measurements, it has a diameter of approximately 35.75 km. The spectrum matches a stony S-type asteroid.