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
- L. Boyer
- Discovery site
- Algiers Obs.
- Discovery date
- 17 November 1936
- Named after
- Charles Tirel , (discoverer's friend)
- Alternative designations
- 1936 WA · 1930 UQ
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , Tirela
~3 min read
Article
1400 Tirela (provisional designation 1936 WA) is an asteroid and the parent body of the Tirela family, located in the outer regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered on 17 November 1936, by French astronomer Louis Boyer at the Algiers Observatory in North Africa. The asteroid has a rotation period of 13.4 hours and measures approximately 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) in diameter. It was named after Charles Tirel, a friend of the discoverer.
Orbit and classification