Venus and Jupiter to make closest approach in 24 years next month

A rare celestial alignment will bring Venus and Jupiter unusually close in the night sky on June 8–9, their nearest conjunction in 24 years, according to Norwegian astrophysicist Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard.

Speaking to Dagbladet, Ødegaard noted the two planets are already visible as bright points low in the western sky after sunset, outshining nearby stars. “They’ll grow closer each evening until early June, when they’ll appear tighter together than at any point since 2002,” he said.

No telescope is required to observe the event. “Wait about an hour after sunset, look toward the horizon where the sun disappeared, and they’ll be unmistakable,” Ødegaard explained.

The alignment coincides with a “blue moon” on June 1, marking the second full moon in a single calendar month—a phenomenon tied to the phrase “once in a blue moon.” Ødegaard clarified that while the term often describes rarity, actual blue-tinted moons can occur when wildfire smoke or volcanic ash scatters light in the atmosphere.

Later in June, Mercury will also become easier to spot near the Venus-Jupiter pair. “Mercury is normally tricky to locate, but the other two planets will act as guides,” he added.

A partial solar eclipse on August 12 will further highlight the summer’s astronomical events. Ødegaard called it “one of the century’s most significant eclipses for Norway,” with near-total coverage visible nationwide—the largest since 2015 and unmatched until 2039. That same night, the Perseid meteor shower peaks under ideal dark-sky conditions, thanks to the new moon phase.

“Summer’s warmth makes these events far more enjoyable than winter stargazing,” Ødegaard remarked. “For astronomy lovers, it’s going to be extraordinary.”