Jupiter and the Moon made a very close pass in the early morning night sky

The rare alignment showed Jupiter and the Moon unusually close together

Jupiter was visible as a small spot next to the Moon in a similar celestial event in 2005 (Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

Stargazers who managed to wake up very early on Friday morning were treated to a rare and stunning view, as Jupiter and the Moon made a close pass of each other in the night sky.

As the planets aligned, it was easy to spot the waning Moon just 2.5 degrees below Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.

The event could be readily spotted with the naked eye or a pair of binoculars, but those with access to a telescope got a better view - with some managing to get a glimpse of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a giant storm on the planet's southern hemisphere that has lasted for almost 200 years.

Obviously, the two planets weren't that close - Jupiter is actually around 510 million miles away from the Moon. If you were travelling on the Space Shuttle (now sadly out of service), it would take you more than three years to get between the two planets if you travelled at the Shuttle's top speed.

Those with telescopes and more powerful binoculars were also able to get a glance of Jupiter's four Galilean moons - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Such a close pass between the two celestial bodies is fairly rare, so if you didn't get up in the middle of the night to take a look, you might not have another chance very soon.