A Celestial Dance: Jupiter and Venus Draw Closer in the Morning Sky

One of the best shows of the year...a celestial dance that will take more than a month to complete... has begun in our morning sky.

Jupiter is rising almost an hour before Sunrise now, and the giant planet is on a journey toward a beautiful conjunction with brilliant Venus, just before mid-August. At their closest from our point of view, the two objects will appear about 1/2 degree, or the width of the Full Moon, apart. With Venus at -3.9 magnitude and Jupiter at -1.9 magnitude, they will make a striking pair.

To add to the show the pair will be joined by a Crescent Moon on July 22nd and August 20th to form a dazzling trio.

Watching this celestial dance over several weeks will be very pleasing, even if some of the mornings are clouded over. :)