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
- G. Neujmin
- Discovery site
- Simeiz Obs.
- Discovery date
- 13 September 1928
- Named after
- Vera Figner , (Russian revolutionary activist)
- Alternative designations
- 1928 RQ · 1952 BM, A917 UF
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer )
Article
1099 Figneria, provisional designation 1928 RQ, is an asteroid from the background population of the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 26 kilometers in diameter. Discovered by Grigory Neujmin at Simeiz Observatory in 1928, the asteroid was later named after Russian revolutionary activist Vera Figner.
Discovery