Jupiter and Venus will be 'doing the dance' for the next couple of weeks. Both planets are in the western sky and visible as soon as it gets dark - around 8:30 - 9:00 PM EDT.
On Monday, June 1, 2026, Jupiter will be to the left and higher than Venus. Venus, of course, is the brighter of the two. The two stars above the planets are Castor and Pollux, the major stars of Gemini the Twins. Castor is the rightmost of the two.
By next Monday, June 8, the two planets will be very close to each other, with Jupiter falling further down to the horizon and Venus rising slowly and to the left.
On June 9 they will be the closest, about 1.5 degrees apart - a bit more than the width of your pinky finger at arm's length.
On the 15th, Jupiter will have passed Venus and sinking lower and lower in the western horizon.
On the 16th, the thin crescent moon joins the pair making for a nice grouping.
Finally, on the 17th the moon joins Venus for another close pairing.
No optical aid needed - just your eyes and clear skies!
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