Q148915
Also known as (240) Vanadis, Vanadis
main-belt asteroid
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
- Alphonse Borrelly
- Discovery date
- 27 August 1884
- Pronunciation
- / ˈ v ɑː n ə . d ɪ s /
- Named after
- Freyja
- Alternative designations
- A884 QB
- Minor planet category
- Main belt
Article
240 Vanadis is a fairly large main-belt asteroid with a diameter of around 100 km. It was discovered by Alphonse Borrelly on August 27, 1884, in Marseille and was named after Freyja (Vanadis), the Norse fertility goddess. The asteroid is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.67 AU with a period of 4.35 yr and an orbital eccentricity of 0.206. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 2.10° to the plane of the ecliptic.
Photometric observations of the asteroid made during 2022 were used to produce a light curve that showed a rotation period of 10.565±0.002 h with a brightness variation of 0.07±0.01 in magnitude. This is consistent with earlier estimates. It is very dark and is classified as a C-type asteroid, probably composed of primitive carbonaceous material.