Look towards the evening sky over the next few days and you might glimpse two bright planets gathered for a celestial meeting.
The glowing orbs are Venus and Jupiter, which will appear within two degrees of each other in the night sky, despite being millions of kilometres apart.
This phenomenon will peak on the evenings of June 8 and June 9, according to National Geographic, when the planets will be bright enough to appear soon after sunset. In Singapore, they will be visible in the north-eastern sky, according to astronomy site theskylive.com
The phenomenon, where objects appear close together in the sky despite remaining far apart in space, is referred to as a conjunction.
This rare event is when the two astral bodies – among the brightest planets in the night sky – will share a “cosmic kiss”.
In addition to being closer to Earth, Venus will also appear about 7.5 times brighter than Jupiter as seen from Earth, according to science news site livescience.com
Some residents have taken to social media to share images of the planetary conjunction, which is already visible here.
In a post on Facebook group CloudSpotting and SkySpotting Singapore, user CK Ng shared his sighting of the two planets, adding to his post caption: “Jupiter is the higher one.”
Another user, Shir Ley, shared a view from a balcony, which showed the two stellar bodies hanging high above the night skyline.
In a close-up shot of the planets, stars Pollux and Castor, part of the Gemini constellation, can be seen lined up next to Venus and Jupiter, according to a labelled image shared by user Raymond Ang. — The Straits Times/ANN
