Mercury Joins Venus and Jupiter in Evening Sky 30 Minutes After Sunset

11 articles · Updated · Astronomy Magazine · May 25

Mercury is now easy to spot after sunset, appearing about 6° above the western horizon roughly 30 minutes after sundown and completing a visible trio with Venus and Jupiter.
The planet has improved in visibility after reaching superior conjunction in mid-May, shining at magnitude -1.1 while brighter Venus and Jupiter help skywatchers trace its position near the horizon.
Jupiter sits highest in eastern Gemini at magnitude -1.9, with Venus lower and between Jupiter and Mercury at magnitude -3.9.
Through a telescope, Venus appears 13 arcseconds wide and 81% illuminated, while Mercury is 6 arcseconds wide and 84% lit.
The viewing window comes during a waxing gibbous Moon phase at 76%, with sunset listed at 8:17 p.m. for 40° N, 90° W.

Following yesterday's planetary trio, what should skygazers expect from the even closer Venus-Jupiter conjunction coming in June?

These 'planet parades' are visually stunning, but how rare are they, and what makes one alignment more significant than another?

Beyond modern science, what meaning did ancient cultures assign to planetary alignments like the one seen last night?