Spectacular meeting in the sky: The two brightest planets will "kiss"

As the Perseid meteor shower approaches its peak, two bright planets are putting on a spectacular show in the night sky. Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets in the sky, will form a conjunction early tomorrow morning.

Because the two planets will appear so close together, those with good eyesight and a telescope or binoculars may be able to see details like Jupiter's clouds and perhaps even the Great Red Spot.

NASA 's monthly skywatching guide features the conjunction of Venus and gas giant Jupiter, our solar system's largest planet, as one of August's most significant skywatching events. Skywatchers will also be able to spot a nebula, known as the "dumbbell nebula," in the sky throughout the month.

A planetary conjunction is an astronomical event in which at least two planets appear close together in the sky as viewed from Earth.

Although the planets are actually tens of millions of kilometers apart, these events provide astronomers and amateur astronomers with the opportunity to see multiple worlds in our solar system simultaneously.