Q155579

Also known as (562) Salome, Salome

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
Discovery site: Heidelberg
Discovery date: 3 April 1905
Pronunciation: / s ə ˈ l oʊ m iː / (biblical) , / ˈ s æ l ə m eɪ / (operatic)
Alternative designations: 1905 QH
Observation arc: 111.00 yr (40542 d)

~1 min read

Article

562 Salome is a minor planet orbiting the Sun that was discovered by German astronomer Max Wolf on 3 April 1905 from Heidelberg. It is named after Salome, the daughter of Herodias who is referenced in the New Testament.

This is a member of the dynamic Eos family of asteroids that most likely formed as the result of a collisional breakup of a parent body.