How to see two iconic planets

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If you set the alarm at 4 p.m. Local time and go to a place that offers a clear and uncomfortable view of the eastern horizon, you can see the two brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter. Winter constellation Orion will go to the right.

During this upcoming week you will be able to watch as they get closer to each other every morning. August 6 Both planets will be separated by 5.8 degrees; Just a little more than half a fist. Until August 10 The gap between them will be closed to two degrees. Remember that the fist held by your hand is approximately 10 degrees.

Time from August 12th. Until August 20 There will be an exceptional time for Sky Sky Watchers, first with eye -catching Venus and Jupiter pairs on August 12th. Venus and Jupiter will appear closest to Tuesday morning, August 12th. The moment of the nearest approach (only 0.86 degrees; less than twice as large than the obvious lunar diameter) will come when this “dynamic duo” fluctuates above the East Northeast horizon through the majority of North America. Venus will be blinded by -4.0 in size, and Jupiter, which shines brightly –1.9 in size, seems to be glowing on the top of Venus.

Your best image will be a quarter of the eastern northeast horizon for about 45 minutes before sunrise. They are both high enough at dawn to provide reasonably constant images (good mornings), but the most interesting thing this month is to see both with one rather wide telescopic image field on August 11 or August 12. Below.

The moon is visiting

Then, after a week, Tuesday, August 19, although the gap between Venus and Jupiter will be expanded to 7 degrees, a narrow crescent moon, a 15 percent lighted sunshine, join them and make an impressive triangular configuration in the morning at the twilight. This morning, the moon will appear about 8 degrees just above Jupiter.

Then the next morning (Wednesday, August 20), the crescent moon will be significantly reduced to 8% and seem to have chosen just 4.5 degrees to the upper left of Venus. Adding both Eastern performance will be a phenomenon known as Earthshine; The sunlight reflects the night of the moon, reflected in sunlight, making its entire disk visible. Here is one of the wonderful glances of nature and is suitable for the old saying: “The Old Moon in the hands of a young moon.” August 20 In a pair of binoculars, the moon will appear a three -dimensional, like a terrible yellow and blue ball with diamond -like veneers burning on the top left.

Future meetings

When Venus and Jupiter will come together next time, it will be in the evening sky at the end of next spring, a few weeks before Independence Day, though not as close as we will see this month. In simple terms, the compounds between Venus and Jupiter, as shown from the ground, take place at an average of 13 months or, more precisely, 398.88 days known as Jupiter’s synodic period (the time when Jupiter returns to the same position in the sun as seen from Earth).

View the table below to find the future Venus-Jupiter couples for the rest of this decade.

Sometimes the interval between the two after another Venus-Jupiter connections is only ten months, as in 2025. August By 2026 However, in other situations, the interval may last as long as 15 months (for example, from August 2022 to November 2028).

Inevitably, some connections cannot be noticed as they appear too close to the sun in the sky. For example, this will be the case in 2027 and 2030. Together. On such occasions, the planets will be arranged (only) 4 and 8 degrees from the blind bright solar disk.

A 24 -year cycle

The periods of Venus, Earth and Jupiter’s lateral revolution (cortereal means “for the stars”) are 224,70, 365.25 and 4 332.58 respectively. If we multiply the lateral Venus period of 39 (8763.3 days), the land from 24 (8766 days) and Jupiter from 2 (8665.16 days), they are very close to the same type of conjunction, under almost identical conditions (about a week later in about a week in the calendar) every 24 years. View the table below. Provided that there are dates, separation between two planets by angular degrees, and elongation or angular distance between two planets.

Note how both planets are gradually closer to each other with each 24 -year cycle. The closest monitoring connection between them will take place in 2121. September 4, when they will be separated by only 0.13 degrees or about a quarter of the apparent moon in diameter and at the twilight of Dawn.

Top selection of telescope

Want to see Venus and Jupiter’s connection? Celesron Nexstar 8SE is ideal for beginners who want quality, reliable and quick to sky objects. To take a closer look at our Celesron Nexstar 8SE review.

But this 24 cycle cannot last forever, because while Jupiter can appear anywhere in the sky, Venus can never receive more than 47 degrees from the sun; Thus, these Venus-Jupiter meetings at 24 years may last no more than 900 years. This current cycle began in 1881, when an unusual triple compound between two planets took place. The first two meetings took place on February 20 and May 14th. However, the current 24 -year cycle began in the third compound in 1881. June 20, in the morning heaven. This will continue until the last, evening manifestation of 2746. January 30

Joe Rao works as an instructor and invited lecturer in New York Hayden Planetarium; He writes about astronomy Natural History MagazineIs it Heaven and telescope and other publications.