Q132864

Also known as 1908 TE, 1925 SA, 1926 XA, 1931 TM3, 1936 OG, Merope

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: K. Reinmuth
Discovery site: Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date: 16 September 1925
Pronunciation: / ˈ m ɛr ə p iː /
Named after: Μερόπη Meropē , (Greek mythology)
Alternative designations: 1925 SA · 1926 XA, 1931 TM 3 · 1936 OG, A908 TE

~3 min read

Article

1051 Merope /ˈmɛrəpiː/ is a dark Alauda asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 68 kilometers (42 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 16 September 1925, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in Heidelberg, Germany, and given the provisional designation 1925 SA. Reinmuth named it after the nymph Merope from Greek mythology. The asteroid has a rotation period of 27.2 hours.

Orbit and classification