Q155749

Also known as (595) Polyxena, Polyxena

outer 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: August Kopff
Discovery site: Heidelberg
Discovery date: 27 March 1906
Pronunciation: / p ɒ ˈ l ɪ k s ɪ n ə /
Alternative designations: 1906 TZ
Observation arc: 110.05 yr (40197 d)

~2 min read

Article

595 Polyxena is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. This main belt asteroid was discovered on 27 March 1906 by German astronomer August Kopff at the Heidelberg observatory. It was named after the youngest daughter of Priam and Hecuba, king and queen of Troy during the Trojan War. 595 Polyxena is orbiting at a distance of 3.21 AU from the Sun, with an orbital eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.06 and a period of 5.75 yr (2,099.1 d). The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 17.8° to the ecliptic.

Light curves generated from photometric data indicate a sidereal rotation period of 11.794162±0.000023 h. Preliminary shape models of the asteroid suggest there's a flat region at the southern pole, perhaps indicating a concave area or an impact crater.