89 Julia is a large main-belt asteroid that was discovered by French astronomer Édouard Stephan on 6 August 1866.

The spectrum of 89 Julia shows the signature of silicate rich minerals with possible indications of an abundant calcic clinopyroxene component.

[8] Photometry from the Oakley Observatory during 2006 produced a lightcurve that indicated a sidereal rotation period of 11.38±0.01 with an amplitude of 0.20±0.02 in magnitude.

[10] The crater was named Nonza by the discoverers, referring to the commune on the island of Corsica where Saint Julia was born.

It is hypothesized an impact 30 to 120 million years ago by another body approximately 8 kilometers in diameter may have created the collisional family.