Two planets will appear to collide in the sky

Venus and Jupiter will appear to almost collide in the skies tonight, sealing their affection with what’s being labeled a celestial “kiss”.

Dr Ain De Horta, an astronomer at Western Sydney University, said this year the pair will look closer than ever before.

“From our point of view it will look like a kiss but they’re very far away so they are blowing a kiss to each other,” he said.

“Venus is what we typically call ‘the morning star’ and alongside it will be another very bright planet, which will be Jupiter.”

Dr De Horta said these two planets are not the only stars of the show, with Saturn and Mars playing maid of honour and best man, the four planets set to line up on the same plane in a rare planet parade.

“They’ll appear like a string of pearls in the very early morning sky,” he said.

According to the night-sky experts, people can step outside and look east and expect the planets to be visible to the naked eye.

NASA describes a conjunction as a time when two planets appear to touch each other in the sky when seen from the Earth’s point of view.

The Venus and Jupiter conjunction usually happens about once a year.

For stargazers in Australia, it will be visible from anywhere between April 30 and May 1 as long as the sky is clear.

Matt Woods from the Perth Observatory says the best time to see it will be around 4am and 5am local time in the state that you’re living in.

“Four or five is the best time to go out. Just go outside and go outside in the front yard or backyard. That’s the easiest way to see it,” Mr Woods said.

“It’s going to be high enough by four or five that it will be above any trees or anything like that and it’s quite noticeable.”

Mr Woods said the proximity of the planets will depend on where in the world you’re looking at them from.

“But they will still be very close together.”

He also added that having a telescope would be ideal to be able to properly see the Venus-Jupiter conjunction.

But he said for those without a telescope it would still be possible to see the planetary phenomenon.

“If you’ve got binoculars, you can see them with binoculars, and even with the naked eye,” Mr Woods said.

In Victoria, a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter event is even being held at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat at 5am on May 1 as part of Dark Sky Week in the state.

After May 1, the planets will continue on their individual paths and appear as if they are moving far away when looked at from Earth.