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
- E. Delporte
- Discovery site
- Uccle Obs.
- Discovery date
- 13 March 1932
- Named after
- Max Wolf , (German astronomer)
- Alternative designations
- 1932 EC · 1925 HC, 1962 TD
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( inner ) , Erigone · background
Article
1217 Maximiliana, provisional designation 1932 EC, is a background asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 17 kilometers (11 mi) in diameter. It was discovered on 13 March 1932, by Belgian astronomer Eugène Delporte at the Royal Observatory of Belgium in Uccle. The asteroid was named in memory of Max Wolf, a German astronomer and discoverer of asteroids himself, who independently discovered this asteroid.
Orbit and classification