Q151617
Also known as (346) Hermentaria, Hermentaria
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.
© Marek Nikodem (PPSAE) · via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Auguste Charlois
- Discovery date
- 25 November 1892
- Pronunciation
- / h ɜːr m ə n ˈ t ɛər i ə /
- Named after
- Herment
- Alternative designations
- 1892 P
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
~1 min read
Article
346 Hermentaria is a very large main-belt asteroid. It was discovered by French astronomer Auguste Charlois on 25 November 1892, in Nice. It is probably named for the town of Herment in the region of Auvergne, France. The asteroid orbits the Sun with a period of 4.68 years and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.10. The orbital plane is inclined by 8.7° to the plane of the ecliptic.
This body has a rotational period of 28.523±0.001 h during which it varies in brightness with an amplitude of 0.14±0.01 magnitude. It has a cross-section diameter of ~100 km. 346 Hermentaria is classified as a (stony) S-type asteroid, indicating a siliceous mineralogical composition. The near infrared spectra of this object show absorption features that suggest a mix of the minerals clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene. It may be thermally–evolved, having at least partially melted at some point. The overall shape resembles a prolate spheroid.