262 Valda
Also known as (262) Valda, Valda
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.
© Marek Nikodem (PPSAE) · via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Johann Palisa
- Discovery date
- 3 November 1886
- Alternative designations
- A886 VA, 1972 YR 1
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
- Observation arc
- 125.45 yr (45822 d)
- Aphelion
- 3.0975 AU (463.38 Gm )
~1 min read
Article
262 Valda is a main belt asteroid that was discovered by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa on 3 November 1886 in Vienna. The name was proposed by Bettina von Rothschild.
Photometric observations of this asteroid from the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico, during 2010 gave a light curve with a period of 17.386 ± 0.001 hours and a brightness variation of 0.17 ± 0.02 magnitude.