1902 Shaposhnikov

Also known as (1902) Shaposhnikov, Shaposhnikov

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: T. Smirnova
Discovery site: Crimean Astrophysical Obs.
Discovery date: 18 April 1972
Pronunciation: / ʃ ə ˈ p ɒ ʃ n ɪ k ɒ v /
Named after: Vladimir Shaposhnikov, (Soviet astronomer)
Alternative designations: 1972 HU · 1940 GK, 1941 MC · 1950 TD 4 , 1951 WY 1 · 1951 YD, 1958 TP 1 · 1958 VB, 1959 XA · 1972 JA

~4 min read

Article

1902 Shaposhnikov (prov. designation: 1972 HU) is a dark Hilda asteroid from the outermost region of the asteroid belt, approximately 92 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 April 1972, by Russian astronomer Tamara Smirnova at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnyj, on the Crimean peninsula. The asteroid was named after Soviet astronomer and WWII casualty Vladimir Shaposhnikov. It was one of the last larger asteroids discovered in the main belt.

Orbit and characteristics