"The apparent separation between the two planets will be approximately 1.6 degrees, or about three times the width of a full moon."
Venus and Jupiter to Shine Together in a Stunning June Conjunction
The planets Venus and Jupiter will appear in close proximity in the western sky after sunset on June 9, 2026, an event known as a planetary conjunction. The apparent separation between the two planets will be approximately 1.6 degrees, or about three times the width of a full moon. Mercury will also be visible near the horizon during the same period.
Observational Details
Timing and Location
The optimal viewing window begins approximately 45 minutes after local sunset and lasts for 1-2 hours. Observers should look toward the western to west-northwestern horizon. Venus will appear to the upper right of Jupiter and will be approximately 7.5 times brighter, with a magnitude of -3.9 compared to Jupiter's -1.7. Mercury will be visible below and to the right of the pair, closer to the horizon.
Instrumentation
The conjunction is visible to the naked eye. Binoculars with 10x50 magnification can show both planets in the same field of view. Telescopes may reveal Jupiter's four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Scientific Context
The apparent proximity of Venus and Jupiter is a line-of-sight effect. As of the conjunction date, Venus is approximately 1.2 astronomical units (AU), or about 110 million miles, from Earth. Jupiter is approximately 6 AU, or about 560 million miles, from Earth. Venus is moving toward Earth and rising in the evening sky, while Jupiter is receding and sinking. During the 30-day period leading up to the conjunction, Venus increased its distance from Jupiter by approximately 27 million miles (43 million kilometers).
Related Observing Events
Same-Week Events
- June 11-15: Mercury joins Venus and Jupiter to form a grouping of three planets in the western sky.
- June 16: A crescent moon will appear near the three planets.
Subsequent 2026 Events
- June 21: The June solstice marks the astronomical start of summer.
- June 27: The Bootid meteor shower is expected to be active.
- June 29: The "micro Strawberry Moon" will occur.
- November 14-15: Jupiter and Mars will appear within approximately 1.2 degrees of each other before sunrise.
- June 25, 2026, or February 8, 2027: The recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis (the "Blaze Star") may erupt, with a statistically likely date on one of these two dates.
Jupiter's 2025 Opposition
On January 10, 2025, Jupiter reached opposition, its closest approach to Earth for that year. At that time, Earth was positioned directly between the Sun and Jupiter, making the planet appear at its brightest and largest for 2025. Jupiter shone at a magnitude of -2.7 with an angular size of 45.6 arcseconds.
Livestream and Photography
The Virtual Telescope Project provided a livestream of the conjunction on June 9, 2026, starting at 19:30 UTC (3:30 p.m. EDT) from Manciano, Italy, weather permitting. Astrophotographers worldwide captured images of the event, including over the Avebury stone circles in Wiltshire, UK; Shenzhen, China; Skopje, North Macedonia; Kuwait City, Kuwait; and Egypt's Black Desert.