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
- Indiana University , ( Indiana Asteroid Program )
- Discovery site
- Goethe Link Obs.
- Discovery date
- 12 October 1964
- Named after
- Dr Goethe Link, (observatory's founder)
- Alternative designations
- 1964 TO · 1943 OA, 1952 WH · 1955 KE, 1956 VD · 1964 UB, 1967 JD
- Minor planet category
~3 min read
Article
1728 Goethe Link, provisional designation 1964 TO, is a stony asteroid and relatively slow rotator from the central region of the asteroid belt, approximately 16 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 12 October 1964, by Indiana University during its Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory in Brooklyn, Indiana, United States. It was named after American philanthropist and founder of the discovering observatory Goethe Link.