Venus and Jupiter Put on Cosmic Show for Ramadan

Venus and Jupiter Encounter at Rasulullah Mosque
A close encounter between Venus and Jupiter, with the Rasulullah Mosque in Tehran, Iran, in the foreground. (Image credit: Jafari)

As Muslims worldwide celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, Venus and Jupiter are providing cosmic decorations during this period of religious reflection.

Both Venus and Jupiter are visible with the naked eye in the western sky just after sunset. They are in close conjunction during July, just in time for the end of Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr), which will fall on or near July 17 (the exact date can vary based on location).

Space.com reader Saheed Jarafi sent in two sublime pictures of Jupiter and Venus behind the Rasulullah Mosque in Tehran, Iran. Ramadan is a Muslim religious celebration honoring the revelation of the Quran, the holy book of Islam, to the prophet Muhammad. Many Muslims celebrate the month by fasting during daylight hours.

Saeed Jafari sent Space.com this image of the "conjunction of the goddess Aphrodite with the god Zeus," or, in other words, a close encounter between Venus and Jupiter. (Image credit: Saeed Jafari)

Jupiter and Venus will slowly drift apart in July after getting as close as 20 arc minutes (0.33 degrees) on June 30, about two-thirds the apparent width of the full moon. As the month continues, the two planets will become harder to see because they will set closer to the sun, meaning they will be shining in a bright, twilight sky.

In a telescope, the planets appear virtually the same size (32 arc seconds, or 1/60 the apparent diameter of the moon). However, Venus appears much brighter. It has reflective clouds and is seven times closer to Earth than Jupiter, which is the biggest planet in the solar system.

Venus is technically at its brightest on July 10, but will be hard to see by then because it is so low in the sky at twilight. At the end of July, it will be setting while the sky is bright. Jupiter will likely fade so much that binoculars will be needed to see it by July 26.

Conjunctions happen in Earth's sky because the planets all travel along the same approximate plane called the ecliptic. From time to time, planets that are in a smaller orbit around the sun "catch up" in the sky to planets on a larger orbit.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace