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. Torres , S. Barros
- Discovery site
- Cerro El Roble Stn.
- Discovery date
- 1 December 1975
- Named after
- Pedro de Valdivia , (Spanish conquistador )
- Alternative designations
- 1975 XG · 1935 CM, 1952 DJ 2 · 1953 QS, 1969 EB 1 · 1969 FC, 1973 FX 1 · 1979 UA 1 , 1990 FO 3
- Minor planet category
~4 min read
Article
2741 Valdivia (prov. designation: 1975 XG) is a background asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 1 December 1975, by Chilean astronomers Carlos Torres and Sergio Barros at the Cerro El Roble Station northwest of Santiago de Chile. The asteroid was named after Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia.
Orbit and classification