Q107556

Also known as (21) Lutetia, Lutetia

main-belt asteroid

AI overview

Q107556 is an asteroid that orbits in the main belt, the region between Mars and Jupiter where most of the solar system's asteroids are found. Like other main-belt asteroids, it helps scientists understand the composition and history of the early solar system.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

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.

Wikidata facts

Image: Rosetta triumphs at asteroid Lutetia.jpg

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~10 min read

Article

21 Lutetia is a large M-type asteroid in the main asteroid belt. It measures about 100 kilometers in diameter (120 km along its major axis). It was discovered in 1852 by Hermann Goldschmidt, and is named after Lutetia, the Latin name of the city of Paris.

Lutetia has an irregular shape and is heavily cratered, with the largest impact crater reaching 45 km in diameter. The surface is geologically heterogeneous and is intersected by a system of grooves and scarps, which are thought to be fractures. It has a high overall bulk density, suggesting that it is made of metal-rich rock.