1542 Schalén

Also known as 1542 Schalen, Schalén

asteroid

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.

Key facts

Discovered by: Y. Väisälä
Discovery site: Turku Obs.
Discovery date: 26 August 1941
Named after: Karl Schalén (astronomer)
Alternative designations: 1941 QE · 1927 BH, 1936 UL · 1940 LP, 1976 CA · A898 VD, A924 NA
Minor planet category: main-belt · background

Article

1542 Schalén (provisional designation 1941 QE) is a background asteroid from the outer region of the asteroid belt, approximately 45 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 26 August 1941, by Finnish astronomer Yrjö Väisälä at Turku Observatory in Southwest Finland. The dark D-type asteroid was later named after Swedish astronomer Karl Schalén.

Orbit and classification