Q155338

Also known as (54) Alexandra, Alexandra

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: H. Goldschmidt
Discovery date: 10 September 1858
Pronunciation: / ˌ æ l ɪ ɡ ˈ z æ n d r ə , - ˈ z ɑː n -/ AL -ig- ZA(H)N -drə
Named after: Alexander von Humboldt , (German explorer)
Minor planet category: Main belt
Adjectives

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Article

54 Alexandra is a carbonaceous asteroid from the intermediate asteroid belt, approximately 155 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by German-French astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt on 10 September 1858, and named after the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt; it was the first asteroid to be named after a male.

Description