Venus and Jupiter in evening 'spectacle'

(ANSA) - Rome, June 30 - Venus and Jupiter will be in close conjunction on Tuesday and Wednesday, offering a breathtaking spectacle in the evening sky.
    The two planets, respectively the third and fourth brightest celestial bodies after the sun and moon, will be easy to spot hanging low and bright in the western sky. "The spectacle is guaranteed," said astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, responsible for the project Virtual Telescope. "The ideal time to observe the two planets in all their splendour will be around 21.30 tomorrow (Wednesday), from a position with an unobstructed view of the horizon," he said.
    With a small telescope it will be possible to observe Venus as a brilliant, fat crescent and Jupiter accompanied by its four largest moons.
    "Conjunctions are not that rare but this is special because the planets pass very close together," Paolo Volpini of the Italian Astrophile Union said. To complete the spectacle, Saturn will be clearly visible in the south and an almost full moon in the east.