279 Thule

Also known as (279) Thule, Thule

outer 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: Johann Palisa
Discovery date: 25 October 1888
Pronunciation: / ˈ θj uː l iː /
Alternative designations: A888 UA, 1920 GA, 1923 RA, 1927 EC, 1954 FF
Minor planet category: Asteroid belt ( Thule )
Adjectives: Thulean / ˈ θj uː l i ə n /

Article

279 Thule is a large asteroid from the outer asteroid belt. It was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 25 October 1888 in Vienna. This body was named after the ultimate northern land of Thule, according to ancient Greek and Roman lore.

This asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 4.35 au (651 Gm), with an eccentricity of 0.026 and an orbital period of 9.07 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 2.32° to the plane of the ecliptic. Thule was the first asteroid discovered with a semi-major axis greater than 4 AU. It is the only large asteroid with a 4:3 resonance orbital with Jupiter that also has a small eccentricity and orbital inclination.