Q150797

Also known as (307) Nike, Nike

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.

Key facts

Discovered by: Auguste Charlois
Discovery site: Nice
Discovery date: 5 March 1891
Pronunciation: / ˈ n aɪ k iː /
Named after: Nike
Alternative designations: A891 EB; 1957 LM

Article

307 Nike is a sizeable asteroid of the asteroid belt. It was discovered by the French astronomer Auguste Charlois on 5 March 1891 while working at the Nice Observatory. Charlois named it after the Greek goddess of victory, as well as the Greek name for the city where it was discovered.

This object is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.91 AU with an eccentricity of 0.14 with an orbital period of 4.95 years. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 6.13° relative to the plane of the ecliptic. It is classified as a carbon-rich C-type asteroid. Infrared measurements yield a diameter of 55 km.