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
- A. D. Andrews
- Discovery site
- Boyden Obs.
- Discovery date
- 25 January 1965
- Named after
- Mette Andrews, (wife of discoverer)
- Alternative designations
- 1965 BA · 1955 DC
- Minor planet category
- Mars-crosser · Hungaria
~3 min read
Article
1727 Mette, provisional designation 1965 BA, is a binary Hungaria asteroid and Mars-crosser from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 25 January 1965, by Irish astronomer David Andrews at Boyden Observatory near Bloemfontein in Free State, South Africa. It was named after the discoverer's wife Mette Andrews.