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
- L. Oterma
- Discovery site
- Turku Observatory
- Discovery date
- 16 November 1938
- Named after
- Kevola Observatory
- Alternative designations
- 1938 WK · 1926 GT, 1933 UM · 1933 WR, 1936 KL · 1937 QG, 1940 EJ
- Minor planet category
- main-belt · ( outer ) , background
Article
1540 Kevola (provisional designation 1938 WK) is a dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 42 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 16 November 1938, by astronomer Liisi Oterma at the Iso-Heikkilä Observatory in Turku, Finland. The asteroid was named after the Finnish Kevola Observatory.
Orbit and classification