Jupiter and Venus to Meet This Week
Planets Jupiter and Venus have been moving closer together for the past few months and activity between the two planets is expected to increase further this week.
This will cause a major dazzling light show for sky-gazers that is slated to begin sometime Monday evening with activity between the two planets expected to peak sometime on Thursday.
During that time, Venus and Jupiter will line up to form what is known as a planetary conjunction.
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These conjunctions normally occur every 13 months, but this one is expected to be the best conjunction for those living in the Northern Hemisphere to view for years to come. The two planets will be visible for a long period of time in the evening sky. The two should shine in the night sky for four hours after sunset this upcoming Thursday.
Jupiter trumps most planets in size as it is 11 times wider than the Earth. Venus is a gas giant in its own right that can be seen shining brightly from the Earth's surface.
The two planets look very different through the lens of a telescope, with Jupiter including many complex bands and swirls in its atmosphere and Venus being made up of bland white clouds.
Despite being covered with clouds, the surface of Venus is covered in numerous craters, mountains and valleys. Its climate is extremely hot with temperatures up to around 860 degrees Fahrenheit.
After the two planets come together this week, they will begin to move apart from each other and appear in different patches of the sky. Venus will reportedly cross the face of the sun from Earth's perspective on June 5. Its appearance will resemble a tiny black dot on the star.
Venus' meeting with the sun normally occurs two times per century.
