How to catch the rare rendezvous of Venus and Jupiter

Venus and Jupiter will not appear this close together in the sky for another 50 years.

|
Science/NASA
A preview of Venus and Jupiter during an extremely close encounter, which will take place just after sunset on Aug. 27, 2016.

Look to the western horizon just after sunset on Saturday, Aug. 27, and Venus and Jupiter will appear as close together as they will for the next half century, until November 2065.

This type of celestial event is called an "appulse" and occurs when two objects in the sky move so close together – as seen from Earth – that they reach the absolute minimum separation between two celestial objects. The view of this convergence is so dramatic than many speculate it was this type of event that was responsible for the star of Bethlehem as described in the Bible.

To see the two planets appear to converge, head to an area where the horizon is free of trees and buildings. About half an hour after sunset, the two planets will be visible about anywhere from 5 to 20 degrees above the horizon, depending how far south you are. You can estimate 10 degrees of sky by holding your fist out at arm's length, so look for the planets within two fist-widths above the western horizon.

At the same time as the Venus-Jupiter appulse, Saturn, Mercury, and Mars will also be visible in the night sky. Venus, which has phases like the moon and can sometimes appear as a crescent, will be 90 percent full in the sky, making the event even more dramatic.

Skywatchers do not need a telescope or binoculars to observe the two planets, but Venus and Jupiter will be close enough together that they'll be visible in the same field of view in either binoculars or a telescope.

The ideal place to watch this rare celestial event would be in South America, because the planets will be visible during deep twilight when the sky is darker and the contrast between the planets and the sky is greater. By the time North America is in deep twilight, the planets will have set below the western horizon.

However, even if you are not located in Guyana, Suriname, western Brazil, central and eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, or central Argentina you can still see a great show. But if you live in an area with a lot of light pollution, it is suggested that you head to somewhere darker.

Viewers in the northern US and Canada will miss the two planets moving toward each other, as this part of the event will occur before the sun has set, but they will be able to see the single point of bright light after the sky has darkened 30 minutes after sundown, which is at 7:27 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday.

The appulse will not be visible from the UK, except to particularly experienced observers, since it is too far north and will be visible only extremely low on the horizon. Australia will have the same problem with the added challenge of it being full daylight during the time of the event. However, in southern Europe, particularly the Iberian Peninsula, viewers will see the planets meet approximately 40 minutes after sunset.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to How to catch the rare rendezvous of Venus and Jupiter
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0827/How-to-catch-the-rare-rendezvous-of-Venus-and-Jupiter
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe