Udupi: Venus and Jupiter will look spectacular in the western twilight sky, as viewed from around the world.
They are the sky’s two brightest starlike objects and they have been drawing closer to each other throughout June. On the nights of June 30 and July 1, one can witness the closest Venus-Jupiter conjunction until August 27, 2016.
As mentioned, they are the brightest celestial objects after the Sun and Moon. Although they wlll appear close to another, they are actually not. The Moon is the closest to us, just 247,000 miles (400,000 km) away. Venus is 56 million miles (90 million km) from Earth, and Jupiter is 10 times farther out at just over 550 million miles (890 million km).
Even more dramatic event occurs on June 30, when Venus and Jupiter will appear so close together — just 1⁄3° apart — that they’ll look like a tight, brilliant double star in the evening sky. Skywatchers will be able to cover both with the tip of an outstretched finger.
At present, seen through the telescope, Venus looks like a crescent moon and is so spectacular.
The Poornaprajna Amateur Astronomers’ club, Poornapajna College, Udupi is organizing a skywatch program June 30 and July 1 in the college premises. If the sky is clear, it can be a good show.