Look at the sky overnight Tuesday! Venus and Jupiter will look like they're almost touching.
Venus and Jupiter will almost merge Monday night, easy to identify to the naked eye.
NASA
A telescope or binoculars will make viewing even better, and the planets are so close together you'll be able to see them in that one field of view. You might even see the clouds of Jupiter or the big red spot.
The planets will appear about a degree apart, which is roughly the length of a pinky. Of course, while they appear close together in the sky, they're about 400 million miles from each other, certainly not a day trip.
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The full Sturgeon Moon, which is now on the waning side of its cycle, will still be visible early in the morning. Another celestial event you might catch is some meteors, or more commonly known as shooting stars. The peak of the Perseid meteor shower is also under way, and the best time to see them is in a couple of hours before sunrise. That means that not only will you get to see Venus and Jupiter, but you will also have a high likelihood of seeing a couple of shooting stars as well.
I always recommend trying to get the kids up early to see these events, even if they go back to bed afterward. It helps them appreciate and give context to the fact that we are quite small compared to the universe itself, and can often spur questions and good conversation.
One question you might get asked is, 'How rare is this?' In actuality, the conjunction is not super rare. There's another one on Aug. 26, 2027 that will be slightly closer when the two planets will only be half a degree apart. Some scholars think the historical reference to the Star of Bethlehem might have even been a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus, so close that they appeared as one object. This year, the weather is going to cooperate, so take a look.
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