Jupiter and Venus will share a rare “cosmic kiss” tonight as the two planets appear side by side in the night sky.
They’ll come within about half a degree of each other — about a full moon’s breadth apart (or the equivalent of the width of your little finger when you hold them at arm’s length) — and it looks like they’re about to collide.
It could be a stunning sight for stargazers, who may be able to see the event without a telescope or binoculars.
In recent weeks, Jupiter and Venus have moved closer and closer as they move toward what’s known as a conjunction — when two objects in the sky, such as moons, planets, or stars, appear very close.
While the worlds will appear to be next to each other, the phenomenon is actually a trick of perspective — in reality, they’re still 400 million miles (600 million km) apart.
Quite a spectacle: Jupiter and Venus will share a rare ‘cosmic kiss’ tonight as the two planets appear side by side in the night sky
The worlds will be about half a degree apart — about a full moon width apart — and it looks like they’re about to collide. To catch a glimpse of this, skywatchers should look west after sunset (pictured)
Only from Earth will they seemingly enjoy a “cosmic kiss.”
To get a glimpse of this, skywatchers should look west after sunset, looking for what will look like two exceptionally bright stars.
Jupiter will shine twice as bright as Sirius – the brightest star in the sky – while Venus will appear six times brighter than the gas giant, the largest planet in the solar system.
Since the worlds will be low on the horizon, finding a spot on a hill and away from tall buildings will provide a better view.
NASA said the two planets would appear around 6:58 p.m. ET, as evening twilight ends on the US East Coast.
A similar kind of time in the UK offers the best opportunity to get a glimpse of the spectacle.
The only hindrance could be cloud cover as dark skies are of course the best way to see the event.
Unfortunately, most of Britain is expected to be cloudy from 19:00 GMT this evening, although those in south west England and west Wales should have relatively clear skies to see the conjunction.
Spectators may also be able to see four of Jupiter’s brightest moons using a telescope.
After our own moon, Jupiter and Venus are currently the brightest objects in the sky, according to Gianluca Masi, an astronomer at Italy’s Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory and head of the Virtual Telescope Project.
He hosts one live feed from 18:30 GMT (13:30 ET) to see ‘the kiss between Venus and Jupiter’, for those who can’t see it in person.
Unfortunately, most of Britain is expected to be cloudy from 19:00 GMT this evening, although those in south west England and west Wales should have relatively clear skies to view the conjunction.
Gas giant: Jupiter will shine twice as bright as Sirius – the brightest star in the sky
Show-off: Venus will appear six times brighter than the gas giant, the largest planet in the solar system
“A conjunction involving the planets Venus and Jupiter is always spectacular: after the moon, they are the brightest objects in the night sky,” said Masi.
“The Virtual Telescope Project is ready to bring you the experience from Rome, Italy: join us live, online, from the comfort of your home.”
These kinds of conjunctions are common in our solar system because “the planets orbit the sun in roughly the same plane — the ecliptic plane — and thus follow similar paths across our sky,” NASA said.
So while there is “no profound astronomical significance,” as the US Space Agency puts it, “they’re pretty to look at.”
Thanks to Venus’ relatively short orbit (225 days), combined with Jupiter’s 12-year journey around the sun, the pair reaches conjunction about every 13 months.
