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
- P. Shajn
- Discovery site
- Simeiz Obs.
- Discovery date
- 15 August 1928
- Pronunciation
- / p oʊ ˈ l oʊ n i ə /
- Named after
- Poland , (European country)
- Alternative designations
- 1928 PE · 1933 PA, A908 XA
~4 min read
Article
1112 Polonia (provisional designation 1928 PE) is an Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 38 kilometers (24 miles) in diameter. Discovered by Soviet astronomer Pelageya Shajn at Simeiz in 1928, it was the first asteroid discovery made by a woman. The L-type asteroid has a long rotation period of 82.5 hours, and was named for the country of Poland.
Discovery