Two worlds (almost) collide!

Stargazers and skywatchers have an early morning treat coming up. Over the next few days it will appear as though Jupiter and Venus are making a rendezvous above the horizon.

Each of these heavenly bodies put on a solo act most of the year as the sky’s brightest objects after the sun and moon. But when they get in line the view can be even more spectacular!

If you’re up early enough and clouds don’t mask the view, take a peek above the eastern horizon just before dawn (sunrise around 6:00am next few days). Each day Venus and Jupiter will appear closer and closer until August 18th when the two will nearly pile on top of each other.

Viewed from our planet, the apparent distance between the two will be less than the width of the moon! In reality the two will be more than 400 million miles apart thanks to Jupiter’s vast distance from the sun.

Both planets shine brightly in our sky thanks to highly reflective clouds. These clouds bounce sunlight back to earth like an extra-terrestrial spotlight in space.

Venus, of course, orbits very close to us coming within 25 million miles at times. Jupiter isn’t so close but looks nearly as bright thanks to its massive size.

If you’re not a morning person you’ll have your chance to catch to see this spectacle but you’ll have to wait. The next planetary “conjunction” will be in the evening sky on July 1st 2015.