Chennai: Skywatchers are in for a remarkable celestial display on June 9 as Jupiter and Venus appear unusually close together in the evening sky. The two brightest planets will seem just 1.6 degrees apart in a conjunction, though they are actually separated by hundreds of millions of kilometers. They have been approaching each other for weeks.
To put it in perspective, the moon's width is about 0.5 degrees, meaning the two planets are roughly three full moons apart. According to Sky & Telescope, the official magazine of the American Astronomical Society, the distance between them will be a little more than the width of a pinkie finger held at arm's length.
Experts say people can see the two planets with naked eyes, though binoculars or a telescope would provide a better view. All they need to do is look toward the west-northwest direction in the sky about 45 minutes after sunset.
"Venus is on eastern elongation — moving east of the Sun until August. So it will keep looking brighter till August, but you may not be able to see the full round disc of the planet. Jupiter is far away from Earth, so it will look a little dim. But you can see both planets with naked eyes," said Soundararaja Perumal, former executive director of the Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre.
While the planets appear close together in the sky, what we actually see is a line-of-sight illusion. Venus will be about 80-85 million kilometers from Earth, while Jupiter will be approximately 900 million kilometers away.
Perumal noted that conjunctions involving Venus and Jupiter occur infrequently, and not all are easily visible from Earth. The last one took place in August 2025. The next rendezvous between the two planets will occur on August 25, 2027, but it may be difficult to view as they will be too close to the Sun. The next clear opportunity will be on November 10, 2028. "Generally, conjunctions do not have a periodicity as all planets move at different speeds," he said.
Experts added that other planets will also be in the vicinity. Mercury will be visible in the northwestern sky, though it may be harder to spot because it appears lower in the twilight sky and reflects less sunlight than Venus. The visibility of Mars and Saturn may be average, while Neptune and Uranus will be extremely difficult to see without optical aid.
