Overview
- The two brightest evening planets reach their closest apparent approach on Tuesday, June 9, when Venus and Jupiter will sit about 1.5–1.6° apart in the western twilight sky.
- The alignment is an optical line‑of‑sight effect so the worlds remain millions of miles apart, with Venus appearing far brighter than Jupiter as seen from Earth.
- Observers are advised to look toward the western horizon roughly 45 minutes to two hours after sunset for the best view, and the pairing will be visible to the naked eye across most of the globe if skies are clear.
- Public events and outreach are planned, including a free Nehru Planetarium viewing at Teen Murti Bhawan in New Delhi on June 9 at 7:30 PM, while photographers and amateur astronomers are already sharing images from around the world.
- Mercury will join the scene around June 11–15 to form a brief three‑planet parade, and similar Venus‑Jupiter conjunctions recur on roughly a 10–15 month cycle with other close appearances expected in coming years.