Space Optical Illusion: Jupiter and Venus are nearly aligned in the night sky

When the sun goes down, it becomes visible Venus and Jupiter will come together To mark the transition of the calendar to spring (boreal) and the beginning of its conjunction. March’s planets are poised to put on a dazzling show on Wednesday night.

Bright planet Venus and gas giant Jupiter appear as two nearly touching orbs separated by less than 1 degree in the night sky. The Connections They occur when two planets, a planet and a star, or a planet and the Moon appear to almost touch each other from Earth. But this conjunction is different due to the proximity of the planets.

If you held your little finger up against the night sky, “your little finger wouldn’t fit between these planets, they’re so close together,” the NASA ambassador said. Tony Rice. “They don’t come close very often.”

But don’t be fooled, it is a Optical illusion. Although the two planets appear to be embracing, they are actually separated by millions of miles of space.

Venus and Jupiter have been gradually approaching each other for the past few weeks. Last week they formed an impressive line with the crescent moon.

The two planets will have a slow-motion race on Wednesday and Thursday nights before moving apart until May 2024. Nova PedroScientist NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Program. The last time Venus and Jupiter were in conjunction was on April 30, 2022.

According to Rice, the next time Venus and Jupiter will be as close as they are now.

On Wednesday night, Jupiter will be the faintest planet to the left of Venus because it’s so far away, Rice said. Venus shines almost six times brighter than Jupiter.

The two planets will be close at midnight, half a degree apart, Pedro said. Then the planets gradually move away from each other.

So if you want to find two sensational sunsets, look to the western sky, as Elbaba’s character in the musical says. Wicked. Far away from the bright lights of the city and where the sky is clear, Jodi Everyone on Earth can see with the naked eyeBut binoculars or binoculars will focus more on the couple.

All four of Jupiter’s largest moons are visible to observers with sufficiently powerful binoculars.

After Thursday, Venus will slowly rise above the horizon as it passes each night. But Jupiter will sink below the horizon, Rice said, “and disappear below the evening horizon by the middle of the month.”

If you missed the spectacular light of Venus and Jupiter on Wednesday night, Thursday night will give you one more chance. If you missed both visits this month, don’t worry:Links are general! But you’ll have to wait until the summer solstice to see the next one.

On the first official day of summer, Venus, Mars and Moon form a trine In the night sky. No special equipment is needed to see all three.

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