Saturday, November 23Venus’ relentless push higher into the early evening sky coupled with Jupiter’s inexorable fall brings the brilliant planets together after sunset tonight and tomorrow night. The gap between the two worlds stands at 1.5° both evenings — tonight, Jupiter lies above Venus; tomorrow night, Venus appears to the left and slightly below its partner. The best views of this magnificent conjunction will come with the naked eye or binoculars. A telescope at low power can just capture the two in a single field, but the pair’s low altitude means you likely won’t see much detail on either planet.
The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, at 2:41 a.m. EST. It then lies 227,867 miles (366,716 kilometers) away from us.
The Moon reaches perigee, the closest point in its orbit around Earth, at 2:41 a.m. EST. It then lies 227,867 miles (366,716 kilometers) away from us.
A spectacular evening conjunction
Brilliant Venus appears 1.5° south of Jupiter on the evenings of both November 23 and 24, though the two planets make a pretty pair all week.
