Why do Venus and Jupiter appear so close when they're so far apart?

Recently after sunset Jupiter and Venus have appeared close in the western sky. If they're so far apart, how is this possible?

Venus is only visible a few hours before sunrise or after sunset. This is because its orbit is inside the orbit of the earth - closer to the sun than we are.

Jupiter, because its orbit is outside the orbit of earth, can appear anywhere in the night sky (actually, it can be in the day sky, too, but it isn't bright enough to see).

The reason Jupiter can appear "near" Venus is because we are looking across the solar system at it. Jupiter is somewhere on the OTHER side of the solar system from us.