Q155092

Also known as (519) Sylvania, Sylvania

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: Raymond Smith Dugan
Discovery site: Heidelberg
Discovery date: 20 October 1903
Pronunciation: / s ɪ l ˈ v eɪ n i ə /
Alternative designations: 1903 MP
Observation arc: 112.35 yr (41035 d)

~1 min read

Article

519 Sylvania is a minor planet orbiting the Sun in the main belt. It was discovered on 20 October 1903 by American astronomer R. S. Dugan at the Heidelberg observatory. The name is Latin for forest lands. 519 Sylvania is orbiting the Sun at a distance of 2.79 AU with an eccentricity (ovalness) of 0.186 and a period of 4.66 yr. The orbital plane is inclined at an angle of 11.0° to the ecliptic. This S-type (stony) asteroid has an estimated diameter of 48 km and is revolving with a period of 17.962 h.

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