A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
The brightest planets in the night sky are aligning for a must-see show in late February and March 2012.
Start looking tonight!
Note to Sky-watchers: Put on your winter coats, what you're about to hear might make you feel an uncontrollable urge to dash outside. The brightest planets in the solar system are lining up in the evening sky and you can see the formation, some of it at least.
Tonight ~ go out at Sunset and look West; Venus and Jupiter ~ pop out ~ of the twilight even before the sky fades completed black. The two brilliant planets surrounded by evening blue ~ is a beautiful sight.
If you go out at the same time tomorrow ~ the view improves because Venus and Jupiter are converging.
In Mid-Feb they are 20 degrees apart. By end of the month, the angle narrows to only 10 degrees, so close you can hide them behind your outstretched palm. Their combine beauty grows each night as the distance between them shrinks.
A special night to watch is on Saturday, Feb 25, when the crescent moon moves in to form a triangle.
One night later on Sunday, Feb 26, it happens again. It will be visible all around the world.
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
Thank you I will put on a coat, if it stops raining here in VA.
Hope your skies are clear enough to see tonight, I will be waiting with baited breath for the rain to stop and have a clear night.
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
The same happened exactly thirteen years ago, almost to the day.
I am sure it has happened many times since, but that February was one of the happiest times in my life. :)
EDIT: No, sorry that was the Jupiter-Venus conjunction.
(Damn, sentimentality always makes me stupid. :))
And what a sight it was to behold!
I am in Europe, so I have already enjoyed their dance-along across the skies today.
Thank you for bringing it to people's attention. :-)
It is a beautiful, beautiful sight.
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
Venus and Jupiter are really close now (they talk about March 12th in the video).
When I watched those planets I could see some red colours around them.
Or is it just me ?
No clear night now. Hope I can see them tomorrow!
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
I went glow disc golfing last night after a big rain storm came through. The atmosphere was crystal clear and the sky was absolutely brilliant.
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
Last night I went to do some shopping and the sky was so bright you could see few other planets very bright as well. But those two really stand out because they're so close each other. Btw it was quite exceptional view to the sky last night although I live in the middle of the city so there's a lot of distractive lights here usually.
Re: A Magnificent Celestial Show ~ ScienceCasts: An Alignment of Planets!
The Moon, Venus, Jupiter in the west after sunset
And a little bat flying around :cool: (at the beginning and at 0:13)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2dOgB...ature=youtu.be