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
- M. Laugier
- Discovery site
- Nice Obs.
- Discovery date
- 23 November 1948
- Named after
- Julius Steinmetz, ( amateur astronomer )
- Alternative designations
- 1948 WE · 1926 YA, 1936 BE · 1939 VC, 1945 ED · 1957 YH, 1958 AE · A914 DB
- Minor planet category
~3 min read
Article
1681 Steinmetz, provisional designation 1948 WE, is a stony asteroid from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 23 November 1948, by French astronomer Marguerite Laugier at Nice Observatory in south-eastern France. It was named after German amateur astronomer Julius Steinmetz.
Orbit and classification