On Tuesday, June 30th, the planets Venus and Jupiter were less than a half-degree apart in the evening sky — less than the width of the full moon!

The Buehler Planetarium at Seminole State College hosted a Conjunction Party to observe these two bright planets at their closest approach in many years. In addition, both the moon and the planet Saturn were also prominently visible in the sky, making for an absolutely fantastic observing night!

Like all planetarium observing events, the Conjunction Observing Party was free and open to the public. Telescopes were set up along the eastern sidewalk surrounding the pond in the center of the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus. Telescopes were provided by planetarium staff and the Central Florida Astronomical Society.

Photographs by Ricardo Williams

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Click here to view a complete album of photos from the party: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683351595103595.1073741858.350851321686959&type=1