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
- Y. Väisälä
- Discovery site
- Turku Observatory
- Discovery date
- 18 September 1939
- Named after
- Pielinen (lake)
- Alternative designations
- 1939 SE · 1929 RZ, 1931 ED · 1934 CW, 1939 TP · 1939 UK, 1952 RW · A903 SF, A916 RA
- Minor planet category
~3 min read
Article
1536 Pielinen (provisional designation 1939 SE) is a stony Florian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 7.8 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 18 September 1939, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory, Southwest Finland. It was later named for Finnish lake Pielinen.
Classification and orbit