Q148112

Also known as (220) Stephania, Stephania

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: J. Palisa
Discovery site: Vienna Obs.
Discovery date: 19 May 1881
Pronunciation: / s t ɪ ˈ f eɪ n i ə /
Named after: Princess Stéphanie , (Belgian royalty)
Alternative designations: A881 KA · 1925 VE, 1931 FP · 1932 UA, 1943 WB · 1946 MA, 1950 TT 4 · 1961 WB

~3 min read

Article

220 Stephania is a dark background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 32 km (20 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 19 May 1881, by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Vienna Observatory. The C-type asteroid has a rotation period of 18.2 hours. It was named after Princess Stéphanie of Belgium.

Classification and orbit