Four bright planets arc across the southern sky tonight
Venus sits low in the west-southwest shortly after sunset, Jupiter hovers in the southwest, Saturn lies to the south, and Mars appears near the southeastern horizon.
Although Jupiter reached opposition and peak visibility in early May, it remains a conspicuous object from evening twilight until it sets around 9:30 p.m. local daylight time.
Jupiter shines at magnitude –1.9 and dominates the southwestern sky after Venus sets around 8:30 p.m.
The gas giant resides among the background stars of Libra the Scales; this evening, it lies 4° due east of Zubenelgenubi (Alpha [α] Librae). If you view the planet through a telescope, its disk spans 34" and displays stunning cloud-top detail.
Jupiter temporarily shares the sky tonight with three other bright planets: Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Venus sits low in the west-southwest shortly after sunset, Jupiter hovers in the southwest, Saturn lies to the south, and Mars appears near the southeastern horizon.
