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Don't miss Venus' dazzling display this week

Photo credit: Jordan Lye - Getty Images
Photo credit: Jordan Lye - Getty Images

From Country Living

Venus will line up with the bright Gemini stars Castor and Pollux in the western sky this week, so get ready for some spectacular evening displays.

The planet has overshadowed the twin stars, despite Pollux being one of the brightest stars in the sky.

Throughout June, stargazers can spot Venus in the direction of sunset, before Castor and Pollux form an almost straight line with the planet around dusk. Venus sets about two and a half hours after sunset throughout the month.

On 16 June, Venus will move from Gemini to the Cancer constellation to form an amazing panorama with the crescent Moon. Venus will appear seven or eight degrees to the right of the Moon as they descend, with only 13.1% of the Moon’s surface illuminated by the Sun, according to The Guardian. Venus and the crescent moon will almost perfectly align with Pollux, the brightest star, in a straight line.

Photo credit: Stocktrek Images - Getty Images
Photo credit: Stocktrek Images - Getty Images

Space fans will also be able to detect Messier 44 with binoculars about an hour after sunset on 19 June, when the Beehive Cluster will provide a stunning sight of a “faint sprinkling of stars less than a degree to the lower left of Venus,’ reports Space.com.

Mercury will be found to the left of the Castor and Pollux on 27 June and is set to shine brighter than the stars, while Jupiter shines low in the south of the sky.

And a Strawberry Moon will dazzle enthusiasts on 28 June. The June full moon is named after the fruit as it is the month when the wild strawberries start to ripen.

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