By Jupiter! Stargazers enjoy a cosmic treat as the solar system’s largest planet comes close to colliding with Venus in a rare celestial spectacle
- Venus and Jupiter are about 430 million miles apart but appear to be touching
- The phenomenon occurs every year, but this weekend seemed much closer
- When the sky is clear, the naked eye or binoculars are sufficient to see planets
Stargazers enjoyed a cosmic treat this weekend as two of the solar system’s brightest planets appeared on the verge of a collision in the night sky.
Venus and Jupiter are about 430 million miles apart, but when viewed from Earth they appear to be nearly touching in a rare celestial spectacle known as a planetary conjunction.
The phenomenon occurs every year as the planets orbit the sun, but this weekend the celestial bodies appear much closer than usual. The same spectacle will not be repeated until 2039.
On a clear day, the naked eye or binoculars are enough to see the planets just above the horizon to the east.
Venus, the brightest of the duo, appears just 0.2 degrees – less than the diameter of a full Moon – south of Jupiter. The planets will be best visible just before sunrise in the coming weeks, when they will begin to slowly drift apart.
HEAVENLY sight: Jupiter and Venus appear in the sky above Rocca Calascio Castle in central Italy before sunrise yesterday
A conjunction is when two planets appear close together or even touch each other in the night sky.
Venus and Jupiter appear to be slowly approaching each other in the last few days before meeting in their own conjunction. The best time to witness this was at 5am this morning, just before sunrise.
The planets are now so bright that they are easily visible to the naked eye on clear skies.
Enthusiasts with telescopes can see features of Jupiter or some of its largest moons. It’s also possible to catch a rare glimpse of Mars and Saturn in the same patch of sky, which appear to form a series of four planets.
Jupiter, named after the king of the Roman gods, is the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. It has been admired since prehistoric times.
Venus, which remains visible before sunrise until September, is the second planet from the Sun and is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.
Jupiter (left) and Venus (right) are about 430 million miles apart, but when viewed from Earth they appear to be nearly touching in a rare celestial spectacle known as a planetary conjunction
As the planets appear low in the sky, stargazers who have not yet witnessed the spectacle are advised to seek a high point or unobstructed view on a clear night to see the dazzling duo.
“It’s very exciting for astronomers and a really great opportunity for people to go out and take a look,” Professor Lucie Green, chief stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy, told the BBC.
“The planets will vary in brightness. Venus is brighter than Jupiter so it will look blindingly bright when you see it.
“Jupiter will be a little dimmer, about a sixth the brightness of Venus,” she said.