CELESTIAL TRIANGLE & HAPPY SOLSTICE from Spaceweather.com

CELESTIAL TRIANGLE & HAPPY SOLSTICE
From Spaceweather on June 20, 2015
http://spaceweather.com/

HAPPY SOLSTICE: Tomorrow is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest day in the south--that is, the "June solstice." The exact moment of the solstice is Sunday, June 21st, at 12:38 pm EDT (16:38 UT). This marks the beginning of summer in the north and winter in the south. Happy solstice!

CELESTIAL TRIANGLE: When the sun sets tonight, go outside and face west. You will receive a beautiful lesson in geometry. Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent Moon have converged to form a scalene triangle in the sunset sky. In the Adirondack mountains of New York, artist Sally J. Smith created a special sculpture to frame the conjunction:

"The skies cleared here in time for me to set up this 'planet portal'  

I had made just for the occasion," says Smith, who creates  environmental sculptures 

 like this one at her outdoor studio in Wadhams, NY.

After this weekend, the Moon moves away from the planets--but the show won't be over. Venus and Jupiter will continue to converge, drawing ever closer to one another until June 30th. On that night, the two planets will be a jaw-dropping 1/3rd of a degree apart--less than the diameter of a full Moon.  You'll be able to hide the pair behind your little pinky finger outstretched at arm's length. Mark your calendar and enjoy the show!