This season, two bright objects can be observed in the morning skies. These illuminating orbs, however, are not stars, but two of our neighboring planets, namely Jupiter and Venus. The couple is the brightest planet that people can catch on Earth's skies.
Jupiter and Venus Conjunction Coming This Weekend
Venus (L) and Jupiter (R) rise together in a rare conjunction over the Hell Gate (rear) and Robert F. Kennedy (front) Bridges in the early morning of August 18, 2014 in New York. The two planets were separated by about 0.25 degrees as viewed from Earth. They will appear farther apart each day but still relatively close together about 45 minutes before sunrise this week.
In the few weeks to come, Jupiter and Venus will be 'closer' than ever. From the perspective here on our planet, the couple would seem to collide. But in reality, they are not even close enough to bump into each other.
The phenomenon is part of the 'alignment' process that many of the planets in the solar system do. In the upcoming weekend, experts predict that Jupiter and Venus will be located in the closest spot this year.
Similar to the 'great conjunction' of Jupiter and Saturn in December last year, the largest 'gas giant' and the 'morning star' will place themselves in the nearest location in the sky. The measurement between the two orbs from our view would be less than the size of a full moon.
In an update by NASA, the weekend event would include a quick presentation between the two planets. With that said, observers must not be late in order to properly catch the rare sighting.
A conjunction is a phenomenon in which planets pass by each other's location in our skies. Involved planets may appear to collide with each other, as each solar system's member revolves around the same ecliptic plane.
However, the setup of our planetary neighborhood does not mean that structures involved in conjunction would meet physically, as each of the worlds is significantly apart from each other. The only reason why they seem to meet is because of our line of sight here on Earth, a world that is also aligned with Jupiter and Venus.
Jupiter's distance from Venus measures more than 400 million miles or about 630 kilometers.
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When to Watch Jupiter and Venus Pass by Each Other
The couple's astronomical meeting will commence on Saturday, April 30, and Sunday, May 1. The closest distance that will be viewed between the two would be at exactly 19:00 UTC on Saturday.
North American observers may check out the event at around 4:30 AM. On Saturday, the left spot will be taken by Jupiter, while on Sunday, Venus will take over the location.
To discern the planets easily from stars, people need to check out the southeast horizon of the skies during the specified times. From there, the couple would be easily distinguished from the blinking stellar bodies.
Viewing instruments such as small telescopes to binoculars could give a standard view of the conjunction. But even without optical devices, people would be able to witness the 'meet-up' effortlessly.
Throughout the events, Venus would be the orb that will shine the most, appearing at a magnitude -4.1, which is six times brighter than Jupiter's magnitude -2.1. Through advanced telescopes, people might also catch four of the largest moons of Venus, including Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io, Forbes reports. '
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