Q155129

Also known as (522) Helga, Helga

outer 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: Max Wolf
Discovery site: Heidelberg Observatory
Discovery date: 10 January 1904
Pronunciation: German: [ ˈhɛlɡaː ]
Alternative designations: 1904 NC
Observation arc: 114.65 yr (41876 d)

Article

522 Helga, provisional designation 1904 NC is a large main belt asteroid (minor planet). It was discovered in 1904 by Max Wolf in Heidelberg. Helga is notable for being the first such object to be shown to be in a stable but chaotic orbit in a 7:12 resonance with Jupiter, its Lyapunov time being relatively short, at 6,900 yr. Despite this, its orbit appears to be stable, as the eccentricity and precession rates are such that it avoids close encounters with Jupiter. It forms part of the Cybele asteroid group.

522 Helga was "named by Lt. Th. Lassen, orbit computer" according to Paul Herget's The Names of the Minor Planets (note that computer does not refer to a personal computer, i.e. a machine, but rather to a person actually doing the necessary calculations).