758 Mancunia

Also known as (758) Mancunia, Mancunia

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: H. E. Wood
Discovery site: Johannesburg
Discovery date: 18 May 1912
Pronunciation: / m æ n ˈ k juː n i ə /
Alternative designations: 1912 PE
Observation arc: 101.39 yr (37034 d)

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Article

758 Mancunia is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was discovered in 1912 from Johannesburg by H. E. Wood, a Mancunian. This object is orbiting at a distance of 3.19 AU with a period of 5.70 years. With an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.15, its orbital path ranges from 2.71 to 3.19 AU. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 5.61° to the plane of the ecliptic.

Observation of this asteroid in 1996 suggested a rotation period of 6.902 hours. However, radar observations from Arecibo indicated this may be in error. Independent photometry measurements made during December 2006 were combined to determine an estimated period nearly double that of the original, or 12.7253±0.0006 h with a brightness variation amplitude of 0.26±0.02 in magnitude. A high radar albedo indicates this object is most likely metallic. Dips in the radar echo suggests there are large concavities on both sides. It is classified as an X-type asteroid in the Tholen taxonomy and spans a girth of 85±7 km.