ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Space → Astronomy

Stargazers delight: Jupiter and Venus get up close and personal

Dragos MitricabyDragos Mitrica
July 1, 2015
in Astronomy, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

 

Last night, Jupiter and Venus nearly converged on the night sky, being so close that you actually don’t need a telescope to see their celestial dance.

“Throughout the month of June 2015, the two brightest planets in the night sky, Venus and Jupiter, are going to converge for a close jaw-dropping encounter,”said NASA in a news release.

#perth if you look west at sunset and evening and see a bright star, its Jupiter and Venus at conjunction @tweetperth pic.twitter.com/CpScNb7zW8

— Perth Observatory (@perthobs) June 30, 2015


The two planets were only a third of a degree apart, the closest they’ll get until August 2016.

“You’ll be able to hide the pair not just behind the palm of your outstretched hand, but behind your little pinky finger,” NASA added.

It’s one of the few astronomic events you can actually see with the naked eye, and what makes it so spectacular is that Venus and Jupiter are so bright despite having no light of their own (they are planets, reflecting the Sun’s light). The two planets are actually the brightest objects on the night sky aside for the Moon. Venus is so bright because it is covered with clouds that reflect light very well and is the closest planet to Earth.

Interestingly enough, they appear to be about the same size when viewed from Earth. Even though Jupiter is 12 times bigger than Venus, it is also 12 times farther away. Here are some more pictures of the event:

View of Jupiter and Venus in the evening sky after sunset at around 11pm on 20 June 2015. On this night the crescent Moon lies just below Jupiter. To the right of Venus, using binoculars, may just be seen Praesepe, the famous “Beehive” star cluster, though this will be a difficult object in the twilight and at such a low altitude. The bright star to the left of Jupiter is known as Regulus, the principal star of the constellation Leo, though it is actually a multiple stellar system.
Image via APOD.
Image via Dark Sky Diary.

 

 

RelatedPosts

When the Gas Giants are streched beyond The Point Of No Return
NASA cancels maneuver to get Juno closer to Jupiter due to faulty fuel valves — but that’s not bad news
[UPDATE] Europa is filled with shallow lakes under its surface. High chances of life
What is Jupiter made of and does it have a solid core?
Tags: jupitervenus

ShareTweetShare
Dragos Mitrica

Dragos Mitrica

Dragos has been working in geology for six years, and loving every minute of it. Now, his more recent focus is on paleoclimate and climatic evolution, though in his spare time, he also dedicates a lot of time to chaos theory and complex systems.

Related Posts

News

Jupiter Was Twice Its Size and Had a Magnetic Field 50 Times Stronger After the Solar System Formed

byTibi Puiu
1 month ago
Venus
News

Not a twin planet: Venus was never habitable, says new study

byJordan Strickler
7 months ago
News

Juice spacecraft detects life’s building blocks on Earth, prepares to do the same for Jupiter’s icy Moons

byJordan Strickler
9 months ago
Photo: USGS.
Geology

A beautiful map of the solar system’s largest moon

byTibi Puiu
10 months ago

Recent news

Your gut has a secret weapon against ‘forever chemicals’: microbes

July 3, 2025

High IQ People Are Strikingly Better at Forecasting the Future

July 3, 2025

Newborns Feel Pain Long Before They Can Understand It

July 3, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.