What is the Venus-Jupiter conjunction and how can you view it?

Tonight and time nighttime (1st and 2nd March), skywatchers volition beryllium treated to an antithetic show arsenic 2 planets volition align successful specified a mode that it volition look arsenic if they are touching each different successful space.

Jupiter, the star system’s largest planet, and Venus, the brightest, volition come unneurotic successful what is called a conjunction. But what is going on?

What is it?
“Conjunctions are erstwhile 2 celestial bodies – usually planets – look precise adjacent successful the entity from our viewpoint connected Earth,” says Martin Archer astatine Imperial College London. “The crushed it happens is each the planets astir the prima orbit successful astir the aforesaid plane, called the ecliptic. That means from immoderate fixed viewpoint, determination mightiness beryllium a clip wherever the planets would beryllium benignant of astatine the aforesaid angle.”

How bash you spot it?
It is imaginable to spot the conjunction – disposable successful the occidental entity – with the bare eye. This is due to the fact that of the size of the planets involved. But you tin besides usage binoculars oregon a telescope.

How often does this happen?
That is down to Kepler’s laws of planetary motion, and however the planets orbit astir the prima arsenic a relation of gravity. “It turns retired these conjunctions tin hap a lot,” says Archer. “Inner planets orbit faster than the Earth does, truthful it means from our vantage constituent we tin get a batch of conjunctions.” Venus and Jupiter converge conscionable implicit erstwhile each year.

Why are conjunctions truthful fashionable with people?
In light-polluted areas, similar cities, we often don’t spot galore stars, but we tin spot planets. “With the bare eye, you tin usually spot planets similar Venus, Jupiter and Saturn,” says Archer. “To person 2 of them adjacent successful the entity is beauteous cool.”

Are Jupiter and Venus adjacent successful reality?
While it whitethorn look similar the 2 planetary bodies are touching, they really aren’t. They are astir 600 cardinal kilometres apart, and truthful a conjunction is thing to interest astir – though successful the past, immoderate radical did find the events concerning.

“There utilized to beryllium a past of these conjunctions being a informing signal,” says Archer. “It’s virtually due to the fact that we’re lasting successful the close spot successful the star strategy to spot them adjacent together. They’re not doing thing to 1 another. It’s conscionable a beauteous airy show.”

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