A celestial dance starring the moon and planets Venus and Jupiter will have astronomers and curious ones look up to the night sky in the next couple of weeks. The combination of the three brightest objects in the cosmos are set to appear close enough to the Earth's surface for people to witness. Aside from the three illuminating celestial bodies, a star called Regulus or Heart of the Lion in the Leo constellation, will also appear before the twilight sky, making itself apparent as it draws a line with Venus and Jupiter.
The celestial dance started on Friday, June 19, but one of the most dramatic events is set to happen on Saturday, June 20, as Venus and Jupiter inch closer to one another another, almost like bumping against each other. Although the proximity of the planets looks short, the exact distance between them is vast in reality. Venus is 56 million miles away from Earth and Jupiter is 550 million miles away. The moon is the closest celestial body to our planet, with a distance of about 247,000 miles away.
On the evening of Sunday, June 21, the moon may be seen left of the Regulus and Venus and Jupiter may be located in the lower part far to the right. By Friday, June 26, the two planets will be illuminated in the west and will only have a distance of 2.2 degrees between them. If humans are to compare this distance to their body part, it will be about the width of the thumb extended at arm's length. The Regulus will be shining on the planet's' upper left side. A distance of 1.7 degrees is expected between Venus and Jupiter in the west by the dusk of Saturday, June 27.
The distance between Venus and Jupiter will gradually lessen until it reaches to its closest on Tuesday, June 30, which is approximately 0.33 degrees. As the distance between the two planets are so close, they may appear as a shining double star in the dark of the evening sky. People with backyard telescopes may be able to clearly see this event. At the end of June through August 27, 2016, Venus and Jupiter will be at their closest.
Photo: Xavier | Flickr
