Space
Watch Jupiter, Venus and Mercury Tonight! Planets Form Rare Conjunction in Sky (Video)
Catherine Griffin
First Posted: May 24, 2013 08:29 AM EDT
If you look up at the sky tonight, you may be in for a spectacular treat. A celestial dance between three different planets will occur on Friday and into the weekend. The triple conjunction will include Venus, Jupiter and Mercury--and should make for some great sky gazing.
The three planets will group together in the west-northwest evening sky, according to Space.com. While you should be able to see the planets tonight, the closest they'll be will on the evening of May 26 where they'll appear to form a triangle just above the horizon. The best time to see them will be about 30 to 60 minutes after the sun sets below the horizon, while the orange glow still hangs in the sky, according to RedOrbit.
"Here's a beautiful chance to see three planets all together," said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine in a news release. "Add the Earth under your feet, and you're seeing half of the solar system's planets at once. They'll be a lovely part of the spring twilight."
The easiest planet to see will be Venus, which is extremely bright and visible even before the sun is completely set. If you can identify this planet first, then you should be able to easily find its two companions as they emerge once the sun's light fades.
This particular display has been in the making for weeks. Venus and Jupiter have been steadily approaching each other over time, and Mercury has finally made its own entrance onto the celestial stage. On Friday, all three planets will fit into a circle about 5 degrees wide. By Sunday, they will fit inside a 2.5 degree circle, which means that your thumb held at arm's length away will nearly blot them all out.
You'd better look up when you have a chance, though. On May 27th, the planets will start moving away from one another again. If you don't look now, you won't get another chance to see the conjunction until October 2015.
Want to learn a little bit more about the conjunction? Check out the video here, courtesy of Space.com.
See Now:
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First Posted: May 24, 2013 08:29 AM EDT
If you look up at the sky tonight, you may be in for a spectacular treat. A celestial dance between three different planets will occur on Friday and into the weekend. The triple conjunction will include Venus, Jupiter and Mercury--and should make for some great sky gazing.
The three planets will group together in the west-northwest evening sky, according to Space.com. While you should be able to see the planets tonight, the closest they'll be will on the evening of May 26 where they'll appear to form a triangle just above the horizon. The best time to see them will be about 30 to 60 minutes after the sun sets below the horizon, while the orange glow still hangs in the sky, according to RedOrbit.
"Here's a beautiful chance to see three planets all together," said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky & Telescope magazine in a news release. "Add the Earth under your feet, and you're seeing half of the solar system's planets at once. They'll be a lovely part of the spring twilight."
The easiest planet to see will be Venus, which is extremely bright and visible even before the sun is completely set. If you can identify this planet first, then you should be able to easily find its two companions as they emerge once the sun's light fades.
This particular display has been in the making for weeks. Venus and Jupiter have been steadily approaching each other over time, and Mercury has finally made its own entrance onto the celestial stage. On Friday, all three planets will fit into a circle about 5 degrees wide. By Sunday, they will fit inside a 2.5 degree circle, which means that your thumb held at arm's length away will nearly blot them all out.
You'd better look up when you have a chance, though. On May 27th, the planets will start moving away from one another again. If you don't look now, you won't get another chance to see the conjunction until October 2015.
Want to learn a little bit more about the conjunction? Check out the video here, courtesy of Space.com.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone