Soumyadeep Mukherjee Shares 30-Day Venus-Jupiter Collage as Planets Closed to Within 2 Degrees

Q: The current planet parade ends tomorrow. What is the next can't-miss celestial spectacle happening this week?

The next can’t-miss sky event this week is the **lunar occultation of Venus on June 17**, when the Moon will pass directly in front of the bright planet for viewers in parts of the Americas. That makes it the standout follow-up to the current June 11–15 planet parade of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. In the occultation zone, Venus will briefly disappear behind the Moon and then reappear, creating a much rarer and more dramatic sight than a standard conjunction. Even outside the exact path, the Moon and Venus will still appear strikingly close together. Skywatchers in parts of the United States, Canada, Brazil and Venezuela are among those with the best chance of seeing the full event, though visibility depends on location and local conditions. For many observers, it will happen in daylight or bright twilight, so checking local timing is important. If you miss the occultation, **June 18 offers another strong target**: Venus will appear very close to the Beehive Cluster (M44) after sunset, a pairing that should be attractive with binoculars or a small telescope. One caution: if observing the June 17 event in daylight, do not aim binoculars, a telescope or a camera anywhere near the sun without proper solar safety equipment.

3 articles · Updated · Space.com · Jun 13

A 30-day collage titled "Closer, Everyday" tracks Venus and Jupiter over Kolkata from May 11 to June 9, culminating in their conjunction low above the western horizon.
Mukherjee shot the sequence after sunset with the same Nikon Z6II, Sigma 50 mm lens and framing throughout, changing mainly shutter speed as twilight colors and cloud conditions shifted.
The far-right panel captures the June 9 peak, when the two planets appeared less than 2 degrees apart in Gemini for skywatchers worldwide.
That apparent near-meeting was a line-of-sight effect: during the monthlong shoot, Venus actually moved about 27 million miles farther from Jupiter as it raced toward Earth.