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. Reinmuth
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg Obs.
- Discovery date
- 25 January 1933
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ h ɛ d ə r ə /
- Named after
- Hedera (a.k.a. "Ivy")
- Alternative designations
- 1933 BE · 1929 CD 1 , 1931 TJ 2 · 1975 NW 1 , A907 GD · A915 CA
Article
1251 Hedera (prov. designation: 1933 BE) is a background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 13 kilometers (8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 25 January 1933, by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The asteroid was named for the climbing plant Hedera, commonly known as "ivy".
Orbit and classification