Q155104

Also known as (520) Franziska, Franziska

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: M. F. Wolf , P. Götz
Discovery site: Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date: 27 October 1903
Pronunciation: German: [ fʁanˈtsɪskaː ]
Named after: unknown ( Franziska )
Alternative designations: 1903 MV · A924 WH

~4 min read

Article

520 Franziska, provisional designation 1903 MV, is an Eoan asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 27 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 October 1903, by astronomers Max Wolf and Paul Götz at the Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory in southwest Germany. The origin of the asteroid's name is unknown.

Orbit and classification