Stunning photos show Jupiter and Venus in a rare ‘cosmic kiss’

Stargazers around the world were treated to a spectacular celestial embrace between two of Earth’s planetary neighbours last night.  Venus and Jupiter – the two brightest planets in the sky – got so close that they appeared to nearly collide, or look as if they were ‘kissing’. Officially, the two performed a ‘conjunction’ – when … Read more

Jupiter and Venus set for rare ‘cosmic kiss’ TONIGHT as they appear side by side in the night sky

Jupiter and Venus will share a rare ‘cosmic kiss’ tonight, as the two planets appear side by side in the night sky. They will come within about half a degree of each other – roughly one full moon’s width apart (or the equivalent of the width of your pinkie when held out at arm’s length) – … Read more

NASA’s Juno spacecraft skims Jupiter’s clouds in new clip

Ride on a flyby of Jupiter! NASA’s Juno spacecraft soars just 2,000 miles above the gas giant’s cloud tops in fascinating clip NASA’s new clip shows Juno’s 41st close flyby of Jupiter, occurring on April 9  At its closest point, Juno was just over 2,050 miles above Jupiter’s cloud tops Juno launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida … Read more

Alignment of Jupiter and Neptune could bring good fortune for months, astrologers say 

Why you won’t be THIS lucky again until 2188: Alignment of Jupiter and Neptune could bring good fortune for months, astrologers say The planets of Jupiter and Neptune aligned on Tuesday, as they do every 13 years But their meeting yesterday was extra rare as it was in the constellation of Pisces Such a meeting … Read more

Planet almost identical to Jupiter is spotted orbiting a star 17,000 light years away

A planet ‘almost identical’ to Jupiter has been spotted orbiting a star 17,000 light years from Earth by NASA’s Kepler telescope, scientists have revealed.  The exoplanet, K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb, is almost identical to Jupiter in terms of its mass and distance from its star, according to astronomers in Manchester.  K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb is around 420 million miles from its … Read more

NASA begins building Europa-bound Clipper spacecraft  

NASA has begun building the SUV-sized Europa Clipper spacecraft that will investigate Jupiter’s icy, ocean moon following its launch in October 2024.  The US space agency has announced that Clipper is now being put together at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, Southern California.  The Clipper mission aims to find out if Europa, … Read more

NASA’s Juno spacecraft snaps a stunning photo of Crescent Jupiter

NASA’s Juno spacecraft snaps a STUNNING photo of Crescent Jupiter – a view that is IMPOSSIBLE to see from Earth, even with a telescope NASA’s Juno spacecraft has captured a stunning image of the massive gas giant Jupiter in its crescent phase The vista is impossible to see from Earth, even using a telescope, because … Read more