209 Dido

Also known as (209) Dido, Dido

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
Discovery date: 22 October 1879
Pronunciation: / ˈ d aɪ d oʊ /
Named after: Dido
Alternative designations: A879 UC, 1909 AB, 1909 GB, 1912 RB
Minor planet category: Main belt

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Article

3D convex shape model of Dido

209 Dido is a main-belt asteroid with a diameter of 179±1 km. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters on October 22, 1879, in Clinton, New York. The asteroid was named after the mythical Carthaginian queen Dido. This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.15 AU with an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.058 and a period of 5.59 yr. The orbital plane is tilted at an angle of 7.2° to the plane of the ecliptic.