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
- 25 July 1952
- Named after
- Carl C. Kiess (astronomer)
- Alternative designations
- 1952 OZ · 1935 NE, 1964 WP
- Minor planet category
~3 min read
Article
1788 Kiess, provisional designation 1952 OZ, is a carbonaceous Themistian asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 20 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 25 July 1952, by the Indiana Asteroid Program at the U.S. Goethe Link Observatory near Brooklyn, Indiana, United States, and later named after astronomer Carl Kiess.
Orbit and classification