Jaw-dropping near conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in June, espceially in late June and into early July. June 30 and July 1 it will be especially dramatic.
Come out to the Wagman Star Parties and the Mingo Star Parties June 20 and June 21 to see the King and Queen of Planets in the gathering darkness from AAAP’s observtory hills. Stay as the sky darkens and more stars come out and enjoy views through the observatory telecsopes and through member telecsopes. For more information on the weekend star parties : Wagman and Mingo June 20 and 21, 2015 Star Parties Meanwhile, and into early July, step outside in gathering dusk , look west and see one of nature’s spectacular sky shows!
“At present, the planets Venus and Jupiter are both heading eastward (upward) along the ecliptic, toward the star Regulus. You might think Jupiter should get to Regulus first, since the king planet lodges so much closer to Regulus, the only 1st-magnitude star to sit almost squarely on the ecliptic. However, the closer that a planet resides to the sun, the faster that the planet travels in its smaller orbit. Venus, the second planet outward from the sun, races along at 35 kilometers per second whereas Jupiter, the fifth planet outward, plods along at 13 kilometers per second.
But that’s not all. Jupiter’s orbital path is a solid seven times longer than that traveled by Venus. For that reason, Venus will zoom toward Regulus day by day, whereas Jupiter will travel at a snail’s pace.” From Bruce McClure, Earth-Sky Tonight