Q157855

Also known as (912) Maritima, Maritima

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. Schwassmann, Bergedorf
Discovery date: 27 April 1919
Pronunciation: / m ə ˈ r ɪ t ɪ m ə /
Minor planet category: Main belt
Observation arc: 85.59 yr (31263 days)
Aphelion: 3.6842 AU (551.15 Gm ) (Q)

~1 min read

Article

912 Maritima is an asteroid in the asteroid belt. Based on lightcurve studies observing Maritima over a three-month period, Maritima has a rotation period of 1332 hours. Analysis reveals a possible synodic period of 1332±5 h. Superslow rotators, those with periods longer than a few days, are generally small asteroids. The current paradigm is that slowing of an asteroid's spin rate is the result of YORP radiation pressure, which acts on the target as the inverse square of its size and the inverse of its semi-major axis. The rotation period is less than conclusive.

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