See Venus and Jupiter meet tonight!

Venus continues to climb in the western sky. It has been lower than Jupiter for weeks, but tonight it will catch up. Venus and Jupiter will be very close (called a conjunction). 

By tomorrow Venus will be higher than Jupiter. After that, Jupiter will continue to sink and dim until it is lost in the glare of the sun by the end of the month.

See more with some great photos at EarthSky - Bright planets Venus and Jupiter at their closest

Catch Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky on 1 March. Credit: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

This evening and tomorrow evening, Jupiter and Venus appear really close to one another in the evening twilight after sunset. This evening they are 0.6° apart and tomorrow they will appear 0.8° apart.

-AstroTom

A heavenly sight

The new moon is visible in the west with Venus above it and Jupiter above Venus.

To find the Moon, you must look very low in the west (near where the sun just set).

If you find bright Venus, just look below. 

In this photo Jupiter is barely visible at the very top, with Venus and the Moon lined up below.

-AstroTom

That is Mars next to the Moon tonight!

If you go outside tonight, you will see the full Moon. That very bright reddish looking star just below and to the left of the Moon is actually Mars. The planet is now at its closest and brightest for this orbit and will not be this bright again till 2032. If you miss it tonight, Mars will remain bright and visible in the evening sky for the next few weeks, but you won't always have the Moon as a guidepost. 

For viewers in northwestern Europe, or most of N. America the Moon will actually pass in front of (occult) Mars tonight. See details at 

• https://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-occults-mars-on-december-7-and-8-2022

For more on Mars and what an opposition is, see our blog:

•  https://astrowife.blogspot.com/2012/03/mars-at-opposition-tonight.html

-AstroTom

See the planet Venus in the daytime tomorrow (Friday) morning!

People sometimes ask me, "Why can't we see the stars in the daytime?" The short answer is that the bright blue daylight sky is simply brighter than the stars. However, there are a few stars and planets that are bright enough to overcome the daylight. The most prominent is Venus, which is now well placed for a morning viewing.

You need to find a very clear day with no clouds or haze. Then you need to know exactly where to look. Venus is a very small target in the big blue sky and our eyes will not easily be able to focus on it. What we need is a landmark (or skymark) to help us.

Well, tomorrow morning (Friday) we will have help from the waning crescent moon which will appear to pass very close to Venus. Between 11:00-11:30am the moon will be about 1 moon width away from Venus. Venus will be a bit below and to the left of the moon.

The moon will be tricky to spot as it is thin, only 3 more days till new and pretty close to the sun.

To spot the moon, find a spot where you face due south and are shaded from the sun by a wall or tree. Look south and about 3/4 of the way up in the sky. 

The pair will look something like this simulation:

However, Venus will not look so large. It will be only a pinprick next to the moon.

I plan to be out in my garden between 11:00 - 11:30. Feel free to drop by if you want to join me.

-AstroTom

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Choosing a Telescope

I just came across this well written article about telescopes that delves into the details on why a 6 inch Dobsonian is a perfect scope.

Help! I Can't See Detail On The Planets! - phpdevster - Medium

Coming up: Jupiter, Lunar Eclipse, and 50th anniversary of Apollo on the moon

Lots of astronomy in the coming days!

Jupiter is still the brightest "star" in the night sky. If you look to the southeast as soon as it gets dark, it is hard to miss. If you do need some help, the waxing gibbous Moon will be just above Jupiter on Saturday night to help guide you.

As an added bonus, try to find "The Lord of the Rings" planet, namely Saturn. It is not quite as bright as Jupiter, but brighter than any other star nearby. By about 11:00 pm it is about a hand span to the left of Jupiter when they are both in the south.

For a little help, Note that the Moon will help again as it makes it way around the sky. On Monday the 15th the Moon will be to the right  of Saturn, while on Tuesday it will to just to the left.

The moon will be full  on Tuesday night, but with a special surprise as it will slip into the earth's shadow and be partially eclipsed.

Lunar eclipse Tuesday night

Partial phase begins: 11:00 pm 

Max partial eclipse:   12:30 am

Eclipse end:               2:00 am

Tuesday is also the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch that culminated in Neil Armstrong's taking a small step on the Moon on July 20, 1969. There are lots of articles and documentaries running now about the historic moon landing. 

-AstroTom

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Come see Jupiter and its moons

As you must have noticed Jupiter is now its closest and brightest for the year. It is perfectly placed for telescope observations.

You are all invited to come take a peek through my telescope tomorrow night, Thursday from 8:00 - 9:00 pm.

I'll be at the roundabout in Dekel Gimel across from the park, at the beginning of the security road  by the Bailey's house.

(Waze location: https://www.waze.com/he/livemap/directions?latlng=31.664668851184828%2C35.15913605690003

Keep looking up!

-AstroTom

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