Two of my favorite objects are planets Venus and Jupiter. They are very bright and offer beautiful displays throughout the year. Usually, they are not in the same part of the sky at the same time. During June this year, they are both in the evening sky and will put on a wonderful display. It culminates on June 30 with them less than a moon-width apart, only 1/3˚. I urge you to make a point of going out each clear evening at sunset to watch as their performance takes place night-to-night.
The site Science@NASA released this 3 minute video which shows the highlights expected during the remaining weeks of June.
As a follow-up, I used my planetarium program and screen recording software to step through the dates June 18 – July 4. The view is toward the western sky soon after sunset. I chose 10 pm, but earlier will also work well. Watch at the bottom of the screen as the mouse pointer moves the date one day at a time. Stop the video anytime, or replay, to take in the changing views. Note the thin new moon on the 18, 19, and 20th. On the 30th, the view is enlarged to show the closeness of Venus and Jupiter. You will be able to cover them both with a fingertip on an outstretched arm. Enjoy the show.
Try your hand at photographing this grouping and pairing with some interesting and creative scenes near the horizon. Mount your camera on a tripod or set it on a solid surface. Use the self-timer to avoid movement. Zoom in to frame your scene. Try various exposure settings. Be creative.
How I See It 
Good to know, will look at the sky more often!
Reblogged this on Our View From Iowa.
I’ve been watching them for several nights. They’re hard to miss, actually, but I’m glad to have this more expansive explanation of what to look for. I think the rest of this week is going to be iffy, because of cloud cover, but there surely will be occasions for a few more peeks.
We are really socked in lately. It doesn’t look good for our week ahead. It is rare to have over two weeks of overcast here. So, I am hopeful. I would like to try a few pictures.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a good weekend.
I am hoping the clouds go away…this should be great to watch. Nice videos.
Hey! Look who’s awake!
Jim, thanks a lot for the video, and I really appreciate the screencast, as I’m a visual learner most of the time!
Now, I hope you have some cloudless evening skies. Our clouds won’t go away for several more days, if then. 😦
But we can use the computer software to spot it!
So cool … will start looking and watching. Many thanks!
Oh! Thank you for passing this info along. It has been quite cloudy lately but … I’ll keep a look out.
Maybe it will improve after Bill goes away.
Despite intermittent rain in Austin over the past few days, last night there was enough of a clearing that we were able to see the display.
And speaking of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, the word venereal has likewise descended: because too few people understood its meaning, what we used to call VD has been changed to STD.
Similar weather here. I’ve been trying to get an exposure each evening by 9:30. Last night was ok thru high cirrus from storm Bill.
[…] Friday June 19 was a special day for me. I’ve been watching Venus and Jupiter in the evenings as they have come closer to each other. They will be at an amazing 1/3˚ apart on June 30. Details of that coming event are in this previous post. […]
[…] details about this planetary encounter in earlier posts here and here. I wish you clear […]
[…] During June 16-30, people around the world watched the planets Venus and Jupiter near each other in the evening sky. Their performance culminated on the 30th when they were a mere 1/3˚ apart. Details here. […]