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
Small body data
4940 Polenov (1986 QY4)
- Orbit class
- Main-belt Asteroid
- Diameter
- 17.782 km
- Albedo
- 0.081
- Rotation period
- 4.161 h
- Absolute magnitude
- 12.310 H
- Earth MOID
- 1.560 AU