Q147695

Also known as (213) Lilaea, Lilaea

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: C. H. F. Peters
Discovery date: 16 February 1880
Pronunciation: / l aɪ ˈ l iː ə /
Named after: Lilaea
Alternative designations: A880 DA, 1950 TE 3
Minor planet category: Main belt

~1 min read

Article

213 Lilaea is a large main belt asteroid. It was discovered by German-American astronomer C. H. F. Peters on February 16, 1880, in Clinton, New York and was named after Lilaea, a Naiad in Greek mythology.

Photometric observations of this asteroid in 1986 gave a light curve with a period of 8.045 ± 0.008 hours and a brightness variation of 0.20 ± 0.01 in magnitude. The curve is asymmetrical with two distinct minima. This object has a spectrum that matches an F-type asteroid classification. As with C-type asteroids, its composition is primitive and rich in carbon.