How to catch a rare conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on Sunday
A celestial show will put a nice bow on the weekend.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Our nearest neighbor and the largest planet in the solar system will pass by each other Sunday.
Two heavenly bodies that have never actually met will appear to give each other a quick cosmic kiss Sunday.
Venus and Jupiter will be just 1.5 degrees apart in the southwest sky just after sunset wherever you are, according to Sky and Telescope. Venus will be the lower one in the sky, and you should be able to make out both of them with either the naked eye or binoculars.
Be sure to check out this sight 30 to 60 minutes after sunset, when the sky has begun to darken, but before both planets set below the horizon.
This little meet-up is what's known in astronomy as a conjunction, and this is the first time we've seen this pairing in the sky since January when the two came within three degrees of each other.
Of course, it's all a trick of perspective as these two planets are actually separated by millions of miles and an asteroid belt.
If you miss this opportunity or the weather doesn't cooperate, the planets will remain relatively close to each other after sunset for the rest of the week, but drift ever further apart each night.
The next conjunction comes next month, when Venus will pass by Saturn on Dec. 11.
