318 Magdalena

Also known as (318) Magdalena, Magdalena

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.

Key facts

Discovered by: Auguste Charlois
Discovery date: 24 September 1891
Pronunciation: / m æ ɡ d ə ˈ l iː n ə /
Named after: Possibly Mary Magdalene
Minor planet category: Main belt
Observation arc: 124.56 yr (45496 d)

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Article

318 Magdalena is a main belt asteroid orbiting the Sun. It was discovered by French astronomer Auguste Charlois on 24 September 1891 in Nice. It may be named for Mary Magdalene, who in legend travelled to Southern Gaul and is the patron saint of Provence.

This asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 3.19 AU with a low eccentricity of 0.085 and an orbital period of 5.71 years. The orbital period is inclined at an angle of 10.7° to the plane of the ecliptic. It is spinning with a rotation period of 42.49 hours.