2759 Idomeneus

Also known as (2759) Idomeneus, Idomeneus

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: E. Bowell
Discovery site: Anderson Mesa Stn.
Discovery date: 14 April 1980
Pronunciation: / aɪ d ə ˈ m iː n iː ə s / , / aɪ ˈ d ɒ m ɪ n juː s /
Named after: Ἰδομενεύς , (Greek mythology)
Alternative designations: 1980 GC

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Article

2759 Idomeneus /aɪdəˈmiːniːəs/ is a dark Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately 55 kilometers (34 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 14 April 1980, by American astronomer Edward Bowell at the Anderson Mesa Station near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the United States, and later named after Idomeneus from Greek mythology. The D-type asteroid from the Jovian background population belongs to the 80 largest Jupiter trojans. It is a suspected binary system and potentially a slow rotator with a rotation period of 479 hours.

Orbit and classification