06/07/2026
✨ Venus has been chasing Jupiter for months. On June 9, it finally catches them.
For one evening, the two brightest planets in our sky will appear so close together that they could be mistaken for a single brilliant star.
Just after sunset, look toward the western horizon. Venus and Jupiter will be separated by only 1.5°, about the width of your pinky finger held at arm's length. Venus will blaze at magnitude -3.9, while Jupiter shines at -1.9, creating the brightest planetary pairing of 2026.
Night after night since spring, Venus has been climbing higher while Jupiter has been sinking lower. Now their paths finally meet in Gemini, bringing a celestial encounter visible from almost anywhere on Earth.
No telescope. No binoculars. No dark-sky location required.
Just step outside about an hour after sunset and look west.
You'll see two worlds, hundreds of millions of miles apart, appearing almost close enough to touch.
And after June 9, they'll begin drifting apart again.
Some moments in the sky happen once and are gone.
This is one of them. ✨🌌
