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
- B. Jekhovsky
- Discovery site
- Algiers Obs.
- Discovery date
- 17 January 1924
- Named after
- D. Tombeck , (Faculty of Sciences of Paris)
- Alternative designations
- 1924 PQ · 1953 TP 3 , 1962 VK · A905 UG, A907 GW · A924 BL
- Minor planet category
Article
1013 Tombecka (prov. designation: A924 BL or 1924 PQ) is a metallic Mitidika asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 34 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 17 January 1924, by Russian-French astronomer Benjamin Jekhowsky at the Algiers Observatory in North Africa. The asteroid was named after the secretary of the Faculty of Sciences of Paris, D. Tombecka.
Orbit and classification