Q468818

Also known as (179) Klytaemnestra, Klytaemnestra

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: J. C. Watson
Discovery site: Ann Arbor Obs.
Discovery date: 11 November 1877
Pronunciation: / k l ɪ t ɪ m ˈ n ɛ s t r ə /
Named after: Clytemnestra , (Greek mythology)
Alternative designations: A877 VC

~4 min read

Article

179 Klytaemnestra is a stony Telramund asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 77 kilometers (48 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 11 November 1877, by Canadian-American astronomer James Craig Watson at the old Ann Arbor Observatory in Michigan, United States. It was his last discovery three years before his death. The transitional S-type asteroid has a rotation period of 11.17 hours. It was named after Clytemnestra from Greek mythology.

Orbit and classification