Venus–Jupiter conjunction June 2026: All you need to know

Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in June 2026

When it occurs: A spectacular conjunction of Venus and Jupiter will occur on June 9, 2026, when the two brightest planets in our sky will appear only about 1.6° apart (roughly the width of three full moons).

When to see: Start watching them in the western sky after sunset from early June, when they will appear to move toward each other as Venus climbs higher and Jupiter sinks lower. They will appear side by side on the evening of June 7 and closest on the evening of June 9 (see finder charts below).

After the conjunction, Venus will climb even higher and move away from Jupiter each day. Meanwhile, Jupiter will sink even lower and move toward Mercury.

On the evening of June 16, shortly after sunset, the slim waxing crescent moon will appear between Mercury and Jupiter. And on the following evening, June 17, the moon will float next to Venus.

Positions of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset on June 5, 2026. They are drawing closer each day ahead of their conjunction on June 9, 2026. (Image credit: Stellarium)

Positions of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset on June 7, 2026. On that evening, they will appear side by side, roughly 2.5° apart. (Image credit: Stellarium)

Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on the evening of June 9, 2026. On that evening, they will appear closest to each other, roughly 1.6° apart. (Image credit: Stellarium)

Positions of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset on June 11, 2026. After their conjunction on June 9, they will move away from each other, with Jupiter appearing below Venus. On the evening of June 11, they will be roughly 3.0° apart. (Image credit: Stellarium)

Positions of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset on June 13, 2026. On that evening, they will be roughly 4.5° apart. (Image credit: Stellarium)

Positions of Venus and Jupiter in the western sky about an hour after sunset on June 15, 2026. On that evening, Jupiter will appear roughly midway between Venus and Mercury. (Image credit: Stellarium)

How to see: Venus, the brightest planet, and Jupiter, the second-brightest planet, are hard to miss if the sky is clear. They are the two brightest star-like objects visible in the western sky after sunset, shining with a steady light.

What else to watch: While watching for the Venus–Jupiter conjunction, you might also notice another fainter pair of objects nearby, twinkling with nearly the same brightness.

They are the twin stars Pollux and Castor in the constellation Gemini. The star closer to Jupiter is Pollux, while Castor appears to the right of Pollux. According to Greek mythology, Castor and Pollux were twin brothers born to Queen Leda of Sparta by two different fathers.

Also, if you have a clear sky and an unobstructed view of the western horizon, you might spot the elusive planet Mercury very close to the horizon, well below Venus and Jupiter.

When does a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occur?

Alignment of Venus and Jupiter from Earth's perspective on June 9, 2026 — Alignment of Venus and Jupiter from Earth’s perspective on June 9, 2026. (Image credit: NASA’s Eyes)

A conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs when the two planets align in space from Earth’s perspective, even though they are still millions of miles apart.

How often does a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occur?

A similar conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs once every 3 years and 3 months. Here, “similar conjunction” refers to the interval between two successive evening conjunctions or two successive morning conjunctions.

However, the interval from one evening conjunction to the next morning conjunction is about 2 years and 5 months, while the interval from one morning conjunction to the next evening conjunction is about 10 months.

For example, after the evening conjunction on June 9, 2026, the next Venus–Jupiter conjunction will occur about 2 years and 5 months later, on November 10, 2028, and it will be a morning conjunction.

Here are the dates of Venus–Jupiter conjunctions from 2026 to 2036:

Date of conjunction	Closest distance	Visibility
June 9, 2026	1.6°	Evening
November 10, 2028	0.6°	Morning
September 7, 2029	1.7°	Evening
February 7, 2032	0.3°	Morning
December 8, 2032	1.8°	Evening
May 17, 2035	0.5°	Morning
March 23, 2036	4.0°	Evening

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