Watch: Jupiter, Venus Dance in June's Skies

By SHERRI LONON (Patch Staff)

Check out the video at the bottom of this post to learn more.

Skywatchers interested in some amazing free entertainment need only look skyward as the sun sets to take in a show.

Venus and Jupiter are continuing a dance this month that will bring the two brightest planets in the sky incredibly close together. On Thursday, June 18, the two were estimated to be only be about 6 degrees apart, according to NASA.

On Friday, the crescent moon made a cameo appearance, brightening the show even more. The moon, Jupiter and Venus, in fact, will “form a bright isosceles triangle in the sunset sky,” NASA wrote on its website. “This is how most sky watchers in North America will see it.”

Those who can’t peek out before Saturday will find the show will still be going on.

“One night later, on June 20th, the vertices rearrange themselves, forming yet another isosceles triangle,” NASA officials said. “Never has a geometry lesson been so beautiful.”

While this week’s performance is anticipated to be spectacular, NASA says the finale won’t come until June 30.

“On that night, Venus and Jupiter will be a jaw-dropping 1/3rd of a degree apartment.” That adds up to less than the diameter of a full moon, the agency pointed out.

For best viewing, just look west into the evening sky. NASA officials point out that Jupiter and Venus’ brightness make them visible in the early evening sky, so there’s no need to wait for the sun to fully sink into the horizon to catch the show. For Thursday and Friday nights, the agency recommends using a telescope, if possible, to be able to catch the “fat crescent phase of Venus, the cloud tops and the largest of moons of Jupiter, and the rugged terrain of the Earth’s own Moon.”

To find out more about stargazing, visit Science.NASA.gov.

To find out what to expect weather-wise in your neighborhood, visit your favorite Patch’s homepage for an extended forecast.

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