673 Edda

Also known as (673) Edda, Edda

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: Joel Hastings Metcalf
Discovery site: Taunton, Massachusetts
Discovery date: 20 September 1908
Pronunciation: / ˈ ɛ d ə /
Alternative designations: 1908 EA
Observation arc: 107.57 yr (39290 d)

Article

673 Edda is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was discovered 20 September 1908 by the American astronomer Joel Hastings Metcalf, and was named for the Norse Edda literary works. The name may also have been inspired by the asteroid's provisional designation 1908 EA. This asteroid is orbiting at a distance of 2.81 AU with a period of 4.72 yr and an eccentricity of 0.012. The orbit is close to a 5:2 mean motion resonance with Jupiter, which is located at 2.824 AU.

The long rotation period and low brightness amplitude of this asteroid make it more challenging for measurement of the rotation period. An extensive photometry campaign in 2015 provided a period of 22.340±0.004 h. The unusual light curve suggests that the asteroid shape is very asymmetric. It is a stony S-type asteroid with a mean diameter of 38+6 −2 km.