Venus and Jupiter to create dazzling spectacle in sky tonight

Skywatchers can expect to be dazzled by Venus and Jupiter as the planets create a spectacle in tonight’s sky.

Earlier this week, stargazers witnessed a rare and pleasing alignment of the moon, Venus and Jupiter as they sat very neatly in a row and shone the brightest in the sky. On Wednesday evening, March 1st, Venus and Jupiter will appear to be almost touching each other in a phenomenon called a conjunction — when a planet appears close to another planet, a moon or a star.

According to Nasa, the glare from Jupiter, the largest planet, and Venus, the brightest planet, will create a spectacular glow, and gazers may also be able to witness four of Jupiter’s brightest moons. The Nasa website says about the eye-pleasing celestial event: “Conjunctions have no profound astronomical significance, but they are nice to view.

“In our Solar System, conjunctions occur frequently between planets because the planets orbit around the Sun in approximately the same plane –  the ecliptic plane – and thus trace similar paths across our sky.”

Since mid February, it appears the planets have been moving closer towards each other, but in reality they are still 400 million miles (600 million km) apart.

Onlookers from around the world can find the planets in the western sky typically after sunset, but check locally for specific times.

With clear skies, people should be able to see the conjunction with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view. Because the planets will be low-lying on the horizon, finding a spot on a hill – void of tall buildings – will provide a better view.