Xristos X. Paravalos Photography posted this photo at EarthSky Facebook on July 7, 2015. It’s Venus and Jupiter over the Saronic Gulf, Anavissos, Greece.
Venus and Jupiter are spectacular in the western twilight sky, as viewed from around the world. They are the sky’s two brightest starlike objects and drew together throughout June. Now they are drawing apart again, but Venus is extremely bright, brightest for this evening apparition. EarthSky friends have been capturing them in many wonderful photos, which we’ve been posting here for the past month. Enjoy, and watch for more to come!
Do you have a great photo of Venus and Jupiter? Submit it here for consideration in this gallery, or post it in the comments section below. To post in comments, just click on the comments dialog box. You’ll see an icon for posting in the lower left corner.
View larger. | Venus and Jupiter (with moons) on June 30 by Geraint Smith in Taos, New Mexico.Venus and Jupiter over western Washington on June 30 by Susan Jensen.Venus and Jupiter over Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, on June 30, from Jack Webb.Venus and Jupiter from Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 30, by Guillermo.If you turned a telescope on Venus and Jupiter, you would see Venus in a crescent phase … while Jupiter is a large, striped ball. Photo by Max Corneau on June 30, 2015.Venus and Jupiter on June 30 from Deepak Joshee in Pune, India.Martin Marthadinata in Indonesia captured the planets on June 29. He has also marked the distinctive shape of the stars of the constellation Leo, and Leo’s brightest star Regulus.Venus and Jupiter after sunset on June 28, 2015 by Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe.Venus and Jupiter on June 27 as seen in the desert near Las Vegas, Nevada by Robert Kelly.Cool timelapse image of Venus and Jupiter setting on June 27, 2015 by Marnes Augusto Hoff in Porto Alegre, Brazil.If you turned a telescope on Jupiter now, you could see its moons. Even binoculars – steadily held – will let you glimpse the moons! Photo captured June 24 by Mehmet Tesiltas in Montauk, NY.Steve Lacy in southern New Mexico captured this photo on June 24. He wrote: “I thought the clouds were going to ruin my view of Venus and Jupiter, but then … maybe not.” Definitely not! Thanks, Steve!Venus and Jupiter, June 26, from Charaf Chabou in Algeria.Even after the moon sweeps past them, the show in the western sky after sunset is not over. Jupiter and Venus will be drawing closer through late June and early July. Grant Schwartzkopff in Australia captured this photo on June 22, 2015.Venus, Jupiter and the moon on June 20, 2015 by Abhinav Singhai in India.Venus, Jupiter, the moon and a firefly on June 20, 2015 by Sandy Carter in KansasDiana Halstead caught the moon and planets on June 20 from Jacksonville Beach, Florida.David Wilson caught the International Space Station zipping past the planets and moon on June 20, 2015.Venus, Jupiter and the moon on June 20, 2015 by Greg Hogan in Kathleen, GeorgiaA comparison of the phase of Venus on June 20 (inset) to the phase of the moon. Both now appear as crescents. By Alexander Kozik.Venus, Jupiter and the moon on June 20, 2015 by Randy Baranczyk in St. Paul, MinnesotaVenus, Jupiter and the moon on June 20, 2015 by Shreenivasan Manievannan in Greenville, South CarolinaRoberto Porto captured the moon and planets on June 20 from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Also, check out the video Roberto made, below!Venus, Jupiter and the moon on June 20, 2015 by Thomas Luxford in White Rock, British Columbia, CanadaMoon and planets on June 20 from Nico Vorster in South Africa. Thank you, Nico!Venus, Jupiter, moon on June 20, 2015 from Juan Manuel Pérez Rayego in Mérida, Spain.Moon, Venus, Jupiter on June 20 from Rakan Alduaij at Deception Pass, Washington.Moon, Venus (lower right), Jupiter on June 20, 2015 from Martin Marthadinata in Surabaya, East Java.Moon, Venus and Jupiter on June 20, 2015 over Woolgoolga Beach in Australia, by Denis Crute. He wrote: “Moon, Venus and Jupiter over Woolgoolga beach. Note moon shine in the surf.”Venus, Jupiter and the moon on June 20, 2015 by David Jamieson in Phoenix, ArizonaView larger. | Beautiful waxing moon, Venus and Jupiter above a fading purple twilight arch caused by lingering aerosols from the April eruption of Calbuco Volcano in Chile. Photo taken just before dark, June 19, 2015, by Peter Lowenstein in Mutare, Zimbabwe.Moon, Venus, Jupiter on June 19, 2015 from The Headlands, Michigan, by Leslie Savik Gentner.Moon and Venus June 19 from Patrick Prokop in Savannah, Georgia. Jupiter is there, too, but tougher to see in this photo.Moon, Venus, Jupiter and star Regulus on June 19, 2015 by Suzanne Murphy in Wisconsin.Moon, Venus, Jupiter and star Regulus on June 19, 2015 by Robert Kelly in Las Vegas.View larger. | Jupiter, Venus, the Beehive star cluster and the moon are visible in this image from June 18, 2015 by Matt Schulze in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Gary Sanchez in California caught this view of the moon and planets on June 18.View larger. | Helio de Carvolho Vital wrote on June 18 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: “The thin crescent of the moon floating below Venus and Jupiter would have been a fine display to start the evening with, but when an spectacular fan of very bright orange-pink crepuscular rays suddenly appeared, the western sky became wonderfully adorned.” Venus and Jupiter in upper right of this photo! They are oriented differently because he’s capturing them from Earth’s Southern Hemisphere.Venus (below, brighter) and Jupiter are in the west after sunset. Cat Connor captured this photo at Mammoth Lakes, California and posted it to EarthSky Facebook on June 15.View larger. | Photo by Göran Strand in Sweden. He wrote: “One of the last nights during the spring when the stars were still visible … ” Follow Fotograf Göran Strand on Facebook, or @astrofotografen on Instagram. Or visit his website.Here’s what most of us would see if we looked west tonight. Venus (brighter, below) and Jupiter are very bright – the two brightest starlike objects in the sky. Venus and Jupiter on June 9, 2015 from Mohamed Laaifat Photographies in Normandy, France.Jupiter and Venus are the brightest objects in the west after sunset, but they make a noticeable line with a bright star. The star is Regulus in the constellation Leo. Photo by Mohamed Laaifat Photographies.
Even if you see no stars in the west after sunset, you’ll surely see these two very bright planets. Photo from June 2, 2015 by Suzanne Murphy in Wisconsin. Thanks, Suzanne.View larger. | If you have a darker sky, you can see bright stars around the planets. Photo taken June 1, 2015 by EarthSky Facebook friend Ken Christison.Planets and stars in the western sky after sunset. That streak in the upper left is the International Space Station. Photo by Chintan Gadani in Stevenage, UK.
Jeremy Evans captured the video of the planets, below, in May 2015. The starry cluster passing by between Venus (bright object that sets first) and Jupiter (second bright object that sets second) is the Beehive star cluster in the constellation Cancer. Thank you, Jeremy!
Bottom line: Those two very bright objects in the west after sunset are Venus and Jupiter! They will draw closer throughout June, 2015.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she was the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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