Planets get up close and personal
ONLY three degrees of separation will stand between Venus and Jupiter tonight when they align to appear side by side.
The brightest of the pair will be Venus because the light it receives from the sun will be 50 times more intense than what Jupiter receives.
Venus will also appear smaller than Jupiter, even though Jupiter is seven times further away from us here on Earth.
Twinstar Guesthouse and Observatory co-owner Naomi Tanaka said tonight would be the closest the planets get to each other.
"They will be only three degrees apart, with Venus closer to the horizon and Jupiter just above it," Ms Tanaka said.
"Just after sunset on Wednesday will be the best time to view the planets and they will appear in the western sky."
Ms Tanaka said the planets would be visible to the naked eye but they would not appear on the guesthouse's Night Sky Tour.
"By the time the tour starts at 8.30pm the planets will be out of our view," she said.
Star gazers should keep an eye out on June 6, when Venus appears as a black spot as it moves across the sun.
