Jupiter and Venus are currently visible close together in the night sky in a meeting known as a conjunction.
The two planets reach conjunction once a year, so this event isn’t uncommon, but it’s the closest they’ve come in decades.
Venus will gradually move closer to Jupiter every night during February and early March. Because Venus is closer to the Sun, its orbit is shorter and therefore appears to move much faster across the night sky than its larger, more distant relative.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Jupiter-Venus conjunction and how to see it from the UK.
What is a planetary conjunction?
In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when two astronomical objects, such as asteroids, moons, planets, and stars, appear to be close together in the sky when viewed from Earth.
The Royal Observatory of Greenwich explains: “The planets in our solar system revolve around the sun, and the shape of these orbits is elliptical and slightly inclined to each other.
“From our perspective of Earth, other planets appear to be wandering across the sky. Early astronomers originally referred to the planets as “wandering stars” because they moved through the night sky much faster than “fixed stars”. Of course, we know that although these “wandering stars” appear to the untrained eye as tiny points of light, they are actually planetary bodies in our solar system.
“Sometimes the planets seem to occupy the same place in the night sky due to their orientation, when in fact they are millions of kilometers apart.”
When is the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus?
Jupiter and Venus started appearing close to each other in the sky earlier this week and will continue to appear until around March 10th.
Their next performance will take place on the night of March 1, after which they will gradually move away from each other.
How can I see Jupiter and Venus from the UK?
You should be able to see both planets with the naked eye by looking at the western horizon on a clear night. The view is even better with binoculars.
They look like two bright stars very close to each other – less than the width of the Moon between them – with Jupiter on the left and Venus on the right.
Jupiter will one day appear just above Venus. Venus will be slightly brighter, but both will be brighter than other stars in the sky.
Even though these two planets seem so close, they are actually 400 million miles apart.
Source: I News
With a background in journalism and a passion for technology, I am an experienced writer and editor. As an author at 24 News Reporter, I specialize in writing about the latest news and developments within the tech industry. My work has been featured on various publications including Wired Magazine and Engadget.