Venus, Jupiter to dazzle sky-watchers in rare conjunction on June 9

On June 9, sky-watchers will have the opportunity to witness one of the most captivating astronomical sights in the western sky after sunset.

Two brightest planets visible from Earth?Venus and Jupiter?will appear remarkably close to each other in a striking celestial event known as a planetary conjunction, according to Dr. Y. Ravi Kiron, Director, Nehru Planetarium Prime Minister Museum and Library, New Delhi.

Although Jupiter is at a distance of 900 million km from Earth and Venus at 180 million km, the two planets appear side by side in the sky due to their alignment



along our line of sight.

At their closest approach, they will be separated by an angular distance of 1.5 degrees which is roughly equal to the width of a little finger held at arm?s length, Dr Ravi Kiron said.

Both Venus and Jupiter are currently visible in the evening sky. In the coming days, Venus will appear progressively higher above the western horizon, while Jupiter will gradually descend toward the Sun.

On 9 June, their apparent paths will bring them extremely close together, creating a beautiful and memorable sight for observers, he explained.