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. Itzigsohn
- Discovery site
- La Plata Obs.
- Discovery date
- 12 September 1950
- Named after
- Félix Aguilar (astronomer)
- Alternative designations
- 1950 RJ · 1952 BJ, 1972 XP 2 · 1976 YU 7 , 1977 AE 1
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · Vestian
~3 min read
Article
1800 Aguilar, provisional designation 1950 RJ, is a stony Vestian asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 8 kilometers in diameter.
It was discovered on 12 September 1950, by Argentine astronomer Miguel Itzigsohn at La Plata Astronomical Observatory in Argentina. The asteroid was named after Argentine astronomer Félix Aguilar.