Q155708

Also known as (589) Croatia, Croatia

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: A. Kopff
Discovery site: Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date: 3 March 1906
Pronunciation: / k r oʊ ˈ eɪ ʃ ( i ) ə /
Named after: Croatia , (part of Austria-Hungary )
Alternative designations: 1906 TM · 1936 WM, 1947 RA · 1953 RF 1 , 1953 VR 1 · 1953 VU, A912 HH

Article

589 Croatia, provisional designation 1906 TM, is a dark asteroid and parent body of the Croatia family, located in the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 88 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered in 1906, by astronomer August Kopff at Heidelberg Observatory, and later named for the independent country of Croatia, then part of Austria-Hungary.

Discovery