{"id":42368,"date":"2023-02-28T09:38:37","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T09:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=116424"},"modified":"2023-02-28T10:32:45","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T10:32:45","slug":"see-venus-and-jupiter-close-in-the-evening-sky-on-1st-march","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/see-venus-and-jupiter-close-in-the-evening-sky-on-1st-march\/","title":{"rendered":"See Venus and Jupiter close in the evening sky on 1st March"},"content":{"rendered":"

Venus and Jupiter have been enthralling us with their celestial beauty for the past week. Get ready for their closest conjunction this year. <\/p>

By Pete Lawrence\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 28 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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For the past week, many of us have been looking up in the evening sky to catch amazing views of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon sitting close together.<\/p>\n

The bright planets sit prominently in the night sky, appearing as distinct points of light long before any other stars can be seen with the naked eye.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been wonderful, but we\u2019re about to witness a very special sight this week: a close evening conjunction<\/a> of Venus and Jupiter.<\/p>\n

Find out more about observing Venus and Jupiter in March<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Keep up to date with what\u2019s in the night sky by signing up to the BBC Sky at Night Magazine e-newsletter<\/a> and listening to our weekly Star Diary podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Nicholas Amor captured this view of the Moon, Jupiter and Venus on 23 February from Stanningfield, Suffolk, UK. Equipment: Equipment: Lumix G9 and Lumix G Vario 7-14 lens<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

For the UK, the closest evening approach between Venus and Jupiter occurs on 1 March<\/strong> when the planets appear separated by just 36 arcminutes before setting.<\/p>\n

The best time to view Venus and Jupiter close together will be around 19:25 UT when they are about 11\u00b0 up and 38 arcminutes apart under dark sky conditions.<\/p>\n

Jupiter will be bright at mag. \u20131.9, but will be completely outshone by mag. \u20133.9 Venus.<\/p>\n

As has been the case over the past week or so, both planets will be visible with the naked eye, but if you have a pair of binoculars or a telescope, the extra magnification will make all the difference.<\/p>\n

Through a telescope, both Venus and Jupiter can be seen in the same field, in a low-power eyepiece.<\/p>\n

As 38 arcminutes is about one-and-a-third times the apparent diameter of the Moon, if you have an eyepiece that shows the Moon with plenty of space around it, this should show both planets clearly.<\/p>\n

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Venus and Jupiter have a close encounter at the start of March 2023, best seen as they approach the western horizon. Credit: Pete Lawrence<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Venus is emerging into the evening sky after inferior conjunction on 22 October 2022.<\/p>\n

Consequently it is on the far side of its orbit and appears relatively small at 12 arcseconds with a gibbous phase of 85%.<\/p>\n

Jupiter will look almost three times larger at 34 arcseconds. On the evening of 1 March<\/strong>, all four Galilean moons<\/a> are on display too, lining the event up for a great astrophoto.<\/p>\n