618 Elfriede
Also known as (618) Elfriede, Elfriede, (618) 1906 VZ
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
- K. Lohnert
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 17 October 1906
- Pronunciation
- German: [ ɛlˈfʁiːdə ]
- Alternative designations
- 1906 VZ
- Observation arc
- 109.50 yr (39996 d)
Article
618 Elfriede is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. On July 24, 2013, it occulted the magnitude 12.8 star 2UCAC 23949304, over parts of Mexico and southwestern United States.
Photometric observations of this asteroid collected during 2008 show a rotation period of 14.85 ± 0.01 hours with a brightness variation of 0.12 ± 0.02 magnitude.