The month of March kicks off with an in depth conjunction of two shiny naked-eye planets: Venus and Jupiter. The pair will seem closest for U.S. observers within the night sky on March 1, main as much as the true second of conjunction early on the 2nd, after the planets have set.
Keen skywatchers can get began shortly earlier than sundown on Wednesday, as Venus will start to face out in opposition to the background sky even earlier than the Solar has set. The brilliant (magnitude –3.9) planet seems roughly 30° above the western horizon at sundown and has sunk to half that altitude an hour later. Jupiter seems simply 30′ to Venus’ higher left (southeast); at magnitude –2.1, it ought to seem shortly after sundown, once more even whereas the sky stays shiny. See how lengthy after sundown it takes so that you can make out the second shiny pinprick of sunshine in opposition to the fading twilight.
Each are shiny sufficient to see simply with the bare eye. If you wish to use magnification, don’t look by way of binoculars, a telescope, or some other optical instrument till the Solar has totally set out of your observing web site; word this will likely happen earlier than or after the time listed on this article, relying in your location.
Nevertheless, as soon as the Solar is beneath the horizon, you may safely use binoculars or a telescope to benefit from the pair. Any telescope will supply a superb view, and observing whereas the sky remains to be considerably gentle presents the advantage of protecting Venus’ shiny glare from overpowering the scene. Use low magnification and a discipline of view about 1° throughout to comfortably seize each planets on the identical time. Such a view presents some distinctive perception into the structure of our solar system and the worlds inside it.
