Chikada had been staffing Window 2 of Block B at the Lunar Bureau of Certifications, No. 17, for three years now.
The window’s official name was the Apparent Proximity Certificate Issuance Counter — nicknamed the “Mienakata,” after the phrase for “seeming neighbor.” It issued documents to any two celestial bodies that appeared close together in the sky. Not that an Mienakata certificate let you rent an apartment or move in next door. The bureau simply put on record that two objects had appeared adjacent from a given vantage point; actual distance was no part of the equation. At the bottom of every certificate, in small print, it read: Actual distance: not disclosed.
Everyone knew the line at this counter surged every year in the second week of June. Chikada alone pretended not to notice.
“Next, please.” He called the number, and a woman — Venus — sat down alongside a man — Jupiter.
“Purpose of application?”
“Well,” Venus said, “we’ve been right next to each other in the sky for the past week, and we want proof for people around us. Apparently it’s our closest approach of the season.”
“Have you measured the angular separation?”
“1.5 degrees.”
“Observation point and time?”
“Earth, latitude 35° North. June 9, 2026, 7:42 p.m.”
Chikada was checking the paperwork when his eyes drifted to the distance field on his screen. Venus to Jupiter: roughly 800 million kilometers. In Earth terms, you’d circle the equator twenty thousand times before you arrived.
“The processing fee is 1,240 Lunar Credits. The farther apart you actually are, the higher the fee. At 800 million kilometers, that’s the maximum rate. Did you read the notice at the entrance?”
Venus went rigid for a moment. Jupiter said quietly, “I told you.” She shot back, “And I said that’s exactly why I’m applying.”
“Payment is Lunar Credits only,” Chikada continued. “The certificate is valid only for the duration of the conjunction — in this case, through June 15th. No renewals.”
“Understood,” Venus said. “I’ll pay.”
He collected the fee and printed the certificate. Angular separation: 1.5°. Confirmed within shared field of view. Date, time, and observation point on record. Actual distance: not disclosed. It slid out across the counter.
“Next, please,” Chikada called.
The waiting-room queue stretched out the door. Same as every June. He sighed and pulled a fresh application form from the drawer.
Related article: Venus and Jupiter Side by Side — The Phenomenon of Planetary Conjunction and How to Enjoy the Night Sky