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.
© Marek Nikodem (PPSAE) · via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- G. Neujmin
- Discovery site
- Simeiz Obs.
- Discovery date
- 3 October 1929
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ k ɒ l k ɪ s /
- Named after
- Colchis (ancient Kingdom)
- Alternative designations
- 1929 TA · 1936 FJ 1 , 1940 EP · 1954 LL, 1958 FO · A911 MJ, A916 UH
~4 min read
Article
1135 Colchis (/ˈkɒlkɪs/); prov. designation: 1929 TA) is a background asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 3 October 1929, by Soviet astronomer Grigory Neujmin at the Simeiz Observatory on the Crimean peninsula. The X-type asteroid has a rotation period of hours 23.5 and measures approximately 49 kilometers (30 miles) in diameter. It was named for the ancient Kingdom of Colchis.
Orbit and classification