Track Jupiter & Venus Nightly As They Appear To Collide In Vivid Planetary Conjunction July 1
DENVER (CBS4) - Have you been watching the celestial treat high in the sky the past several nights?
Two bright stars can be seen in the western sky right after sunset.
But these two bright lights aren't actually stars. They are the planets of Jupiter and Venus.
"Right now (June 23) Jupiter is about four degrees away from Venus," said Jeff Tropeano with the Denver Astronomical Society.
That's about the same as four fingers if you hold your hand out straight from your body.
But each night over the next week these two planets will appear closer and closer as they move on their orbits through the Solar System.
By July 1 the distance between Jupiter and Venus will be so tiny you may not be able to distinguish the two planets apart with the naked eye.
From Earth it will appear as if the two planets have collided high in the night sky.
The passing of two celestial objects high in the sky is called a conjunction.
"So over the next week go outside at the same time each night, around sunset, and you'll see Venus get closer and closer to Jupiter, until they "collide" in the sky on July 1," said Tropeano.
Meteorologist Chris Spears writes about stories related to weather and climate in Colorado. Check out his bio or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.
