Venus and Jupiter: how to see the alignment of the planets – 01/03/2023 – Science

Amateur astronomers will be able to witness a unique event at the beginning of the year: the alignment of Venus and Jupiter in the sky.

It’s a phenomenon known as a planetary conjunction, which happens when a planet lines up with a moon, star or another planet so that, from Earth, they appear to be colliding.

Planetary conjunctions happen every year, but this one will be special.

The combination of the brightness of Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, with that of Venus, which is the brightest, will create a spectacular glow, says NASA, the American space agency.

When and for how much can the phenomenon be appreciated?

Since mid-February, Jupiter and Venus seem to be getting closer and closer in the sky.

However, the best time to appreciate this conjunction will be on the night of this Wednesday (1st), when the two planets can be seen with only half a degree of separation, according to NASA.

The planets will be visible from sunset and will appear to march together towards the west until disappearing over the horizon after a few hours.

“During the day they will be at the closest point, although indistinguishable because of sunlight, but they will be seen at night and at sunset,” César Fuentes, an astronomer at the University of Chile and a PhD in Astrophysics from Harvard University, told National Geographic magazine.

How and where to see the alignment of Venus and Jupiter

“The phenomenon can be seen all over the world,” Francisca Contreras, an astronomer at the University of Chile, told BBC News Mundo, the BBC’s Spanish-language news service.

The specialist explained that those interested in seeing the show need to be in an area without clouds, where it is possible to see the horizon and little light pollution (city lights, for example).

Finding the ideal place, the observer will only have to wait for sunset, raise his eyes to the horizon and wait for the appearance of the two luminous points, which will gradually begin to separate.

The phenomenon will be visible to the naked eye, but the use of binoculars or a telescope will allow capturing more details of each planet and, in particular, appreciating the four satellites of Jupiter.

Those unable to see the planets on Wednesday night will be able to see them the following night, but they will already be farther away.

NASA has asked amateur astronomers to photograph the conjunction and send in their images.

Why do planets glow?

We can see the planets because they reflect some of the sunlight.

Jupiter is especially visible due to its size – it is the largest planet in our solar system. With a radius of 69,911 km, it is 11 times wider than Earth.

Venus, which is about the same size and density as Earth, has an atmosphere with many clouds, which reflect the sun’s rays back into space very well.

Text originally published on the BBC News Brazil website.