918 Itha
Also known as (918) Itha, Itha
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.
© Marek Nikodem (PPSAE) · via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- K. Reinmuth
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 22 August 1919
- Named after
- Name picked from the almanac , Lahrer Hinkender Bote
- Alternative designations
- A919 QD · 1919 FR, A907 CA · 1907 CA, 1943 PB
- Minor planet category
Article
918 Itha (prov. designation: A919 QD or 1919 FR) is a stony asteroid and the namesake as well as the principal body of the Itha family, located in the outer region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory on 22 August 1919. The S-type asteroid has a notably short rotation period of only 3.5 hours and measures approximately 21 kilometers (13 miles) in diameter. It was named "Itha", a female name taken from the almanac Lahrer Hinkender Bote, unrelated to the discoverer's contemporaries.
Orbit and classification