On June 9, Jupiter and Venus make a close approach in the evening sky, with Venus appearing less than 20 degrees above the horizon at sunset in the U.S. Mercury sits about 10 degrees below and to the lower right of the pair. The two planets stay within less th
Tonight, June 9, the sky is offering a meeting you won’t want to miss. In the evening glow, Venus and Jupiter drift close together—close enough that many stargazers will spot them in the same glance.
In the U.S., Venus will glow less than 20 degrees above the horizon at sunset. One simple way to picture that distance is “roughly the width of two clenched fists held at arm’s length.” Jupiter will sit to Venus’s lower left.
Mercury is harder. It shines approximately 10 degrees below and to the lower right of the Venus–Jupiter pair, and it asks for a clear view to the west—right where the sun’s light can make small points of light disappear.
The main event is the closeness between Venus and Jupiter. They will be separated by less than 2 degrees in the night sky. close enough to share the field of view of a pair of 10×50 binoculars. If you’re using binoculars and you want to go a step deeper. you may also be able to spot Jupiter’s four Galilean moons—Io. Europa. Callisto and Ganymede—as tiny star-like points of light surrounding the gas giant.
What happens after tonight is part of the excitement. In the following nights, Venus begins to rise above Jupiter as it tracks a path toward the heart of the nearby constellation Cancer. Venus will shine with the open star cluster Messier 44—also known as Praesepe or the Beehive Cluster—on June 20.
There’s also a shift in visibility that keeps the window feeling real. Jupiter will be progressively harder to spot after its rendezvous with Venus on June 9. appearing fractionally lower on the horizon with each passing night. By early July. the gas giant will be a challenge to spot in the glow of the setting sun. and it won’t be seen again until mid-August. when it reappears in the eastern morning sky.
If you want an easy way to get started with the basics of finding targets, the Celestron NexStar 4SE is described as being ideal for beginners. It’s said to be sturdily built, quick to set up, and able to automatically locate night sky targets while providing crisp, clear views.
Editor’s Note: If you’d like to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, the note asks readers to send their photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
Jupiter Venus Mercury conjunction stargazing June 9 binoculars Galilean moons Io Europa Callisto Ganymede Messier 44 Praesepe Beehive Cluster Cancer night sky
Venus and Jupiter are gonna be close?? I swear I saw this same thing last week.
So Mercury is below them but the article says it’s hard because the sun glare… like, just wait until it’s dark? lol. I’m confused by the timing.
I tried looking last time and couldn’t find anything, and now it says Venus is less than 20 degrees above the horizon at sunset. That sounds way too low?? Are we talking like… right after sundown?
Binoculars for planets feels like overkill but whatever. Also “two clenched fists at arm’s length” is not a real measurement if you ask me, my fists are different sizes depending on how cold it is. If you can see the moons too that’s cool but I’m probably gonna just see a blurry bright thing and assume it’s Jupiter anyway.