Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2026 June 12
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                 Venus and Jupiter: Conjunction from Avebury
                  Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Josh Dury

   Explanation: [5]To see Venus and Jupiter together this month, you won't
   need binoculars or even a telescope. [6]Just look up after sunset and
   you'll find them emerging as the sky grows dark near the western
   horizon. In fact, on June 9 the two brightest planets were in close
   conjunction, separated on the sky by less than 2 degrees from our
   perspective. Since (brighter) inner planet Venus orbits the Sun faster
   than outer planet Jupiter, it catches up with and passes the outer
   planet along the ecliptic roughly every 13 months. But every three
   years or so their resulting conjunction can be viewed far enough from
   the Sun to be easily seen in Earth's twilight skies. On June 9, the two
   celestial beacon's close "cosmic kiss" was captured here next to the
   two large standing stones at the cove within a 4,000 year old [7]stone
   circle at Avebury, UK. Larger than [8]Stonehenge, the [9]Avebury henge
   and stone circle complex is also recognized as one of the most
   [10]significant neolithic ceremonial sites on planet Earth.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
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      Authors & editors: [22]Robert Nemiroff ([23]MTU) & Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([24]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [25]Specific rights apply.
            [26]NASA Web Privacy, [27]Accessibility, [28]Notices;
                A service of: [29]ASD at [30]NASA / [31]GSFC,
                         [32]NASA Science Activation
                           & [33]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2606/CosmicKissTheCoveAveburyDury.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.joshduryphoto-media.com/
   5. https://earthsky.org/tonight/venus-jupiter-conjunction-june-2026-charts-how-to-see/
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/whats-up-june-2026-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/
   7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIAHAhInKAc
   8. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251222.html
   9. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury/history/
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avebury
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260611.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  15. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  17. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  20. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=260612
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap260613.html
  22. https://www.mtu.edu/physics/department/faculty/nemiroff/
  23. https://www.mtu.edu/physics
  24. https://www.astro.umd.edu/
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  28. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  29. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  32. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  33. http://www.mtu.edu/