Q156409
Also known as (674) Rachele, Rachele
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.
© Marek Nikodem (PPSAE) · via NASA APOD
Key facts
- Discovered by
- Wilhelm Lorenz
- Discovery site
- Heidelberg
- Discovery date
- 28 October 1908
- Pronunciation
- Italian: [ raˈkɛːle ]
- Alternative designations
- 1908 EP
- Observation arc
- 114.81 yr (41936 d)
Article
674 Rachele is a minor planet orbiting the Sun. It was discovered by Wilhelm Lorenz on 28 October 1908 in Heidelberg, and was named by orbit computer Emilio Bianchi after his wife. This is classified as an S-type asteroid, indicating a stony composition.
Measurements made using the adaptive optics system at the W. M. Keck Observatory give a size estimate of 89 km. It has a size ratio of 1.08 between the major and minor axes. By comparison, measurements reported in 1998 from the IRAS observatory give a similar size of 97 km and a ratio of 1.15.