Jupiter and Venus to Converge

[IndianaGreen]

You can see the two of them every evening at sundown.

Jupiter and Venus to Converge

By Joe Rao

SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
posted: 21 November 2008
11:04 am ET

The most spectacular celestial sight during these final days of November is reserved for the early evening sky, as Jupiter and Venus, the two brightest planets, draw closer together.

The waxing crescent moon will join the planets on the first evening of December for a striking celestial trio.

One of my astronomy mentors, Dr. Kenneth L. Franklin (1923-2007), a former Chairman and Chief Astronomer at New York's Hayden Planetarium, often made reference to our "dynamic and ever-changing night sky." Such an eloquent description certainly fits our current evening sky, as we now have a celestial summit meeting in the making in the western evening twilight.

For the remainder of November, evening skywatchers can watch as each evening Jupiter and Venus slowly converge on each other in the southwestern sky, right after sunset. The two planets will appear a similar distance apart on both the evenings of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. They will be so close you'll be able to stretch your arm out and, with your thumb, blot both of them out.

After Dec. 1, like two celestial ships passing in the night, the planets will slowly separate, but there will still be one more eye-catching sight to see. For on that very same evening, those who gaze toward the south-southwest sky for up to about two hours after sunset arise will be treated to a spectacular sight as Venus, Jupiter and the crescent moon cluster closely together. The trio will form a wide isosceles triangle, with Venus at the vertex.

http://www.space.com/spacewatch/081121-ns-jupiter-venus-moon.html

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. Cool!

[Canuckistanian]

2. That'll be dramatic

But for me, I probably won't be able to see Sagittarius. It's almost exclusively a summer constellation.

Damn, I wish I had a telescope. I'll just have to make do with binocs.

[depakid]

10. You can see "the teapot" in Sagittarius really well down under

with Jupiter and Venus right there beside it.

It's probably below the horizon now in Canada.

[islandmkl]

3. just in time for my birthday...thanks for the heads-up...

[fla nocount]

4. Hey IG, long time no say Hey. Thank's for the distraction.

I needed some real and relevant to relate to...I'll be watching.

[IndianaGreen]

5. I hope we get a clear night

It was overcast today, but by sunrise it had cleared up. Venus and Jupiter are visible at sunset.

[Cha]

6. Cool! Thanks for the reminder~

I'll be in Hood River, Oregon then and be sure and look up in the night sky towards Capricorn to view this beautiful phenomenon.

[arcadian]

7. No sex threads!

:P Incidentally, Sagittarius is known as "the teapot".

[stevedeshazer]

8. Excellent, and thank you for posting this

Just tonight, I was driving just after dusk; Venus and Jupiter were spectacular.

[Cetacea]

9. They already look great!

The addition of the moon will be a beautiful sight. Thanks for posting this!