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
- C. U. Cesco
- Discovery site
- El Leoncito , (Yale–Columbia Station)
- Discovery date
- 24 September 1970
- Named after
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar , (astrophysicist)
- Alternative designations
- 1970 SB · 1947 HD, 1959 RG 1 · 1965 UN, 1971 XA
- Minor planet category
~3 min read
Article
1958 Chandra (prov. designation: 1970 SB) is a dark background asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 24 September 1970, by Argentinian astronomer Carlos Cesco at the Yale–Columbia Southern Station of the Leoncito Astronomical Complex in San Juan, Argentina (also see Félix Aguilar Observatory). It was named after astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.
Orbit and classification