208 Lacrimosa

Also known as (208) Lacrimosa, Lacrimosa

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: Johann Palisa
Discovery date: 21 October 1879
Pronunciation: / l æ k r ɪ ˈ m oʊ s ə /
Named after: Our Lady of Sorrows ( lacrimōsa )
Alternative designations: A879 UB
Minor planet category: Main belt ( Koronis )

Article

208 Lacrimosa is a main-belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on October 21, 1879, in Pola. The name derives from Our Lady of Sorrows, a title given to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.89320 AU with a period of 4.92 yr and an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.013. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 1.7° to the plane of the ecliptic.

During 2003, the asteroid was observed occulting a star. The resulting chords provided a cross-section diameter estimate of 44.3 km. 10μ radiometric data collected from Kitt Peak in 1975 gave a diameter estimate of 42 km for this asteroid. It is classified as an S-type asteroid and is one of the largest members of the Koronis asteroid family. Hence it is probably a piece of the original asteroid that was shattered in an ancient impact that created the family.