According to media reports on August 10th， this coming August 12th， an exceptional celestial event will grace the night sky: Venus and Jupiter will appear to be in very close proximity. Astronomy experts have shared that under clear weather conditions， the public will be able to witness these two brightest planets in our solar system “in a close embrace” with the naked eye in the eastern sky just before dawn. This rare conjunction offers a fantastic opportunity for stargazers.
Venus， shining at approximately -4.0 magnitude， and Jupiter， at about -1.9 magnitude， are indeed the most luminous celestial bodies in the night sky besides the Sun and Moon. They naturally have opportunities to “meet” each year. When their angular separation is less than one degree， comparable to the width of two full moons， it is considered a very close conjunction.
However， such close encounters are not always observable. For instance， on May 23， 2024， while both planets were relatively near each other， their proximity to the Sun made them impossible to see. The last times the public could successfully observe such a close conjunction were on March 2， 2023， and May 1， 2022， with many photography enthusiasts capturing the captivating sight of the planets appearing to be drawn to each other.
Yang Jing， a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and a director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society， explained: “As August began， Venus started to rise in the northeastern-eastern horizon in the early morning， followed by Jupiter. Leading up to the 12th， the two planets gradually moved closer. By the early morning of the 12th， they will reach their minimum angular separation (approximately 0.9 degrees) within the constellation Gemini， appearing exceptionally close to the naked eye. From the time the two planets rise until dawn， the public will have over two hours for unhurried observation and photography.” The significance of this event lies not only in its visual spectacle but also in the accessibility for public observation， allowing ample time for appreciation and capturing the moment.
“The viewing opportunity is not limited to the early morning of the 12th; they will still be visible on the morning of the 13th，” Yang Jing advised. “At that time， Venus and Jupiter will still be very close in angular distance， but their relative positions will have shifted: on the 12th， Venus will be to the right of Jupiter， and on the 13th， it will have moved to its lower right. After this， the two planets will gradually move further apart.” This offers a window for those who might miss the peak moment to still catch a glimpse of the celestial pairing.
What does this rare “joint journey” mean for observers? Yang Jing elaborated: “This means that with astronomical telescopes， the public can simultaneously admire these two bright stars and their details， such as Venus’s phases or Jupiter’s moons， all within a very small field of view.” This highlights the enhanced observational possibilities for those with telescopic equipment， offering a deeper appreciation of the planets’ features.
The next spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter， when they will be even closer， is predicted for November 10， 2028. At that time， their angular separation will narrow to about 0.4 degrees， making them appear even closer than the width of a single full moon. This future event promises an even more breathtaking celestial display.
