Overview
- The conjunction reached its closest apparent approach on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, when Venus and Jupiter appeared about 1.6° apart and were bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.
- Observers were advised to look toward a clear western horizon roughly 30 to 60 minutes after sunset, with binoculars showing both planets in a single field and small telescopes revealing Jupiter’s Galilean moons.
- The Virtual Telescope Project streamed live telescope views beginning at 3:30 p.m. EDT on June 9 to give viewers worldwide access when local skies were cloudy or obstructed.
- Planetariums and science centers reported large turnouts—for example more than 2,500 visitors at the Indira Gandhi Planetarium and weeklong programs at Guwahati Planetarium—while photographers captured the pairing from planes and city sites.
- The close pairing is an optical effect caused by Earth’s viewing angle not physical proximity, with Venus about 110 million miles from Earth and Jupiter roughly 560 million miles away, and the display will evolve as Mercury joins June 11–15 and the crescent Moon aligns around June 16–17.