Jupiter, Venus Appear to 'Collide' in the Night Sky - Video

© Flickr / NASA Solar System ExplorationJupiter and its moon
Jupiter and its moon - Sputnik International
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The spectacular conjunction - visible from Earth with the naked eye on Saturday - happens on average once a year. Astronomers recommend looking southwest just after 6 p.m. local time. The pair of bright celestial objects, lined up low to the horizon, will shine brightly and be easy to see.

The brighter object on the bottom right will be the planet Venus, while the slightly fainter but vastly larger and more distant Jupiter will be top left. The planets last passed close to each other - that is: relative to our position on the surface of the earth - in January. Astronomers expect the next 'conjunction' will not occur until 11 February 2021.

Notably, a close apparent conjunction of Venus and Jupiter reportedly also occurred around 2-3 B.C. Some researchers suggest that this celestial event may have been what was described in ancient records as "The Star of Bethlehem" used to herald the birth of the Christian religious prophet Jesus Christ.

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