Stargazers, look up – a planetary “kiss” will occur on June 9th.
About 45 minutes after sunset on June 9, the two brightest planets, Jupiter and Venus, will be visible to the naked eye. Mercury is also nearby. They will appear at the closest point of convergence at 9:35 p.m. ET, according to EarthSky. The planets follow the ecliptic plane, an imaginary line in the sky that marks the path of the sun. The moon and planets follow this same line.
Venus and Jupiter seem to align about once every 13 months. Therefore, the next time it will be seen in the sky will be on August 5, 2027, but it will be obscured by sunlight. The next visible rendezvous is expected to occur on November 10, 2028, according to SkyandTelescope.
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How to get the best views
According to SkyandTelescope, using binoculars can help. Although both planets fall within the same field of view, it is advisable to view this celestial sight without magnification. So all you have to do is use your eyes.
celestial illusion
Venus and Jupiter may look close in the sky, but they are actually millions of miles apart.
Jupiter orbits beyond Earth in our solar system, so it is much further away. During the conjunction, Jupiter will be approximately 558 million miles from Earth, which is nearly six times the distance between Earth and the Sun. According to Live Science, Venus orbits closer to the sun than Earth, coming in at about 112 million miles closer to Earth, or about five times closer than Jupiter.
Seen from Earth, Venus appears to be rising and Jupiter is descending, flying close together in the night sky.
Sources EarthSky.org, LiveScience.com, SkyandTelescope.org, USA TODAY research.
