Q158378

Also known as (970) Primula, Primula

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: K. Reinmuth
Discovery site: Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date: 29 November 1921
Pronunciation: / ˈ p r ɪ m j ʊ l ə /
Named after: Primula , (genus of flowers)
Alternative designations: A921 WK · 1929 RN, 1966 TG · 1921 LB

Article

970 Primula (prov. designation: A921 WK or 1921 LB) is a stony background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 9.2 kilometers (5.7 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 29 November 1921, by astronomer Karl Reinmuth at the Heidelberg Observatory in southern Germany. The S-type asteroid has a short rotation period of 2.8 hours. It was named after the genus of flowering plants, Primula, which are also known as "primroses".

Orbit and classification