Q136919

Also known as (1197) Rhodesia, Rhodesia

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: C. Jackson
Discovery site: Johannesburg Obs.
Discovery date: 9 June 1931
Named after: Rhodesia , (former state in southern Africa)
Alternative designations: 1931 LD · 1925 AC, 1970 HL
Minor planet category: main-belt · ( outer ) , background

~3 min read

Article

1197 Rhodesia, provisional designation 1931 LD, is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 9 June 1931, by South African astronomer Cyril Jackson at the Union Observatory in Johannesburg. The likely C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 16.1 hours. It was named for Rhodesia, a former British colony and unrecognised state, which is now Zimbabwe.

Orbit and classification