According to The Straits Times, the two bright planets will appear at a distance of no more than two degrees in the sky, in a phenomenon known as conjunction, where the celestial bodies appear close to each other from Earth’s perspective, even though they remain very far apart in space.
Venus and Jupiter are expected to be at their closest apparent position on the evening of June 8 and 9, according to National Geographic, as they will be bright enough to be seen shortly after sunset. In Singapore, they can be spotted in the northeastern sky, according to theskylive.com, a website specializing in astronomy.
This phenomenon is remarkable because Venus and Jupiter are among the brightest planets in the night sky, giving the scene a distinctive visual character that some observers described as being similar to a “cosmic kiss.”
Because of its relative proximity to Earth, Venus will appear about 7.5 times brighter than Jupiter, according to livescience.com.
Some residents began sharing photos of the pairing on social media, after the phenomenon became visible in the sky. A user in the CloudSpotting and SkySpotting Singapore group on Facebook posted a picture of the two planets, explaining that Jupiter is the highest point in the scene.
Another user also shared a photo from the balcony of her home, which showed the two planets rising above the city’s skyline at night. In a close-up photo posted by another user, the stars Pollux and Castor, which are part of the constellation Gemini, also appeared on a line close to Venus and Jupiter.
Between the brightness of Venus and the glow of Jupiter, the sky during these nights presents a simple and beautiful astronomical scene that can be observed with the naked eye after sunset.
