Q155420

Also known as (548) Kressida, Kressida, (548) 1904 PC

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: Paul Götz
Discovery site: Heidelberg
Discovery date: 14 October 1904
Pronunciation: / ˈ k r ɛ s ɪ d ə /
Alternative designations: 1904 PC
Observation arc: 111.50 yr (40725 d)

~1 min read

Article

548 Kressida is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. This object was discovered by German astronomer Paul Götz in 1904. It is named after the theatrical character Cressida. This stony S-type asteroid is orbiting at a distance of 2.28 AU from the Sun, with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.185 and a period of 3.45 yr. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 3.87° to the ecliptic.

Photometric observations of this asteroid from 2021 were used to produce a light curve showing a rotation period of 11.930±0.017 h with a brightness amplitude of 0.44±0.02 in magnitude.