Column By Mike Bibb
Previously, I submitted an article discussing a crescent Moon and the planet Venus. — “Venus and the Crescent Moon,” Gila Herald, May 19, 2026.
Today, about three weeks later, Venus is now appearing in close proximity to Jupiter. The above picture was taken on June 8, 2026, from just about the same location, with the same camera, and nearly the exact time in the evening as the Venus and Moon photo.
Venus is the brighter light on the right, as Jupiter rests slightly lower.
While both seem within arm’s reach of each other, they are actually millions and millions of miles apart.
Unless you comprehend the vastness of space or study the science of the subject, there is no way the human eye can distinguish distance by simply looking Heavenward.
What appears close, like the Moon, for instance, is fairly easy to understand. On the other hand, distant planets and stars are an entirely different story.
The Moon, on average, is about 240,000 miles from Earth. A crewed lunar mission, traveling 3,350 mph, takes about three days to get there. The trip can be made faster by unmanned rockets.
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is — on average — around 440 million miles away. It’s calculated that it would take six years to pilot a spacecraft to the place.
Let’s say you are 35 years old and have a burning desire to pack your bags, grab a couple of Red Bulls, a Visa Card, and a fully charged cell phone, then climb aboard and strap yourself into an Artemis/Orion spacecraft and blast off for Jupiter.
By the time you completed the voyage — including a couple of orbits around “Big J” — and returned home, you’d celebrated 12 or 13 additional birthdays in space.
Your hair was now thinning and turning gray, three of your four kids have married, the fourth is incarcerated in a state prison, and your wife skipped town with an Amazon-Prime 18-wheeler driver.
Home and cars have either been repossessed or sold at a tax auction. Your mom and dad can’t recall your name or why you insist you’re their space-traveling son.
Last they’d heard, their only child, Johnny Joe (you), was either a Dish TV installer working in Cleveland, or a paid lobbyist for Frankenheimer Artificial Insemination and Allergy Consulting Services.
Either way, the sad reality is that your life will never return to normal. Even more discouraging, no one really cares.
Even if they did remember you as the guy who flew nonstop to Jupiter and back, and later began experiencing excruciating bowel blockages, caused by a lack of gravity for over a decade.
As in many things, nothing moves unless there’s an equal force compelling it to move — including ordinary intestinal functions.
So, when gazing toward the western horizon and Venus and Jupiter’s brightness brings a tear of joy and sadness, and reflecting back to the one-time shot at fame and glory made you a superstar for a fleeting moment, you can take some consolation in realizing the mental anguish former President Joe Biden must be going through and the constant “It’s Trump fault” when discussing “the conjunction” of Venus and Jupiter.
Joe probably thinks Venus and Jupiter are a couple of exotic dancers performing nightly at the Capitol Capri, while Trump is hinting at statehood for the two planets.
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author.
