Venus - Jupiter Conjunction - March 1, 2

 

On March 1st & 2nd

Look to the west after sunset.  Our sky's two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will be closely paired in a brilliant spectacle not to be missed!

Actually, they are more than 400 million miles apart. But let our eyes happily deceive us for two nights...

Why so bright?

Of course, Venus is next to Earth; also, Venus has very thick clouds that reflect the light of the Sun onto us. 

Though it is farther away, Jupiter's brightness comes from being the largest planet in our Solar System. 

No ticket needed for this luminous dance

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Next post - Night sky for the month of March

(top photo - NASA - from Feb.23; when moon was also in the scene)