Venus & Jupiter Conjunction – Photo: L. Weikel
Venus & Jupiter Conjunction
Even though it didn’t feel like we were getting all that late of a start on our walk tonight, darkness seemed to slam the lid shut on the day more quickly than I was expecting.
I was going to write tonight’s post on the very obvious presence of Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky, but then became distracted by a discovery upon arriving home that demanded my attention (and whose import continues to linger in my mind).
Tonight Venus and Jupiter were the closest they will get to each other (from our perspective) in the next thirteen months or so. Here’s a brief article. It’s called a conjunction when planets or other celestial bodies are either exactly at or within a few degrees of each other in a particular sign. In these two planets’ case tonight, they are conjuncting at 28 degrees Sagittarius, as I mentioned yesterday.
Well, now that I’ve started writing, I guess I might as well follow through and complete this post about the planets. I did manage to get a decent photo of them, considering I only have an iPhone 6.
I was particularly pleased with my effort to capture reflections of the planets in the puddle of water we were walking past. I managed to catch Venus’s reflection especially – probably because she was so bright. While Jupiter is also reflected, it’s harder to see because it’s simply not as large or as brilliant (to our naked eye). Jupiter is actually exponentially larger than Venus – and much further away from Earth than is Venus.
Look For Yourself
In case you’re wondering, the brighter of the two planets, the one on the lower left, is Venus.
It’s not too late! You should be able to see these two very obvious celestial bodies in the western sky for at least another couple of nights. I’ve noticed them getting closer and closer to each other during this past week and admired their stark beauty in the orangey glow of the post-sunset sky. I’m sure you’ll be able to see them if the weather holds and you have a decent view of the western horizon. You will need to get outside to look at around 5:00 p.m. or so. They may not have set by 6:00 or 6:30.
Tomorrow’s Post
I do want to share the surprise that was awaiting us tonight when we concluded our walk, but I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow to write about it! It did point to a reason why tonight’s post went out a bit later than it should have. But I’ll leave it at that for now.
(T-733)