81 Terpsichore

Also known as (81) Terpsichore, Terpsichore

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: Ernst Wilhelm Tempel
Discovery date: September 30, 1864
Pronunciation: / t ɜːr p ˈ s ɪ x ər ɛ /
Named after: Terpsichore
Minor planet category: Main belt
Adjectives: Terpsichorean / t ɜːr p s ɪ x ə ˈ r iː ə n /

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Article

81 Terpsichore is a large and very dark main-belt asteroid. It has most probably a very primitive carbonaceous composition. It was found by the prolific comet discoverer Ernst Tempel on September 30, 1864. It is named after Terpsichore, the Muse of dance in Greek mythology.

This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.855 AU with a moderate eccentricity of 0.212 and an orbital period of 4.82 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 7.80° relative to the plane of the ecliptic. Infrared measurements provide a diameter estimate of 117.7±0.7 km. It has the spectrum of a carbonaceous C-type asteroid.