Venus and Jupiter Will Get So Close that they Nearly Kissed in Earth’s Night Sky Tonight, Here’s How to Watch the Astronomical Event in Real Time

Venus and Jupiter will be making a closer approach to each other in the Earth’s night sky on Wednesday, March 1. In other words, the hottest and the largest planet in the solar system are coming to display a beautiful planetary parade in our night sky for tonight’s astronomical event. During the astronomical event, astronomers working In the Sky revealed that Venus and Jupiter will be coming within half a degree or 29.4 arcminutes of each other. From this estimation, the two planets will appear like they are about to kiss each other in our night sky.

How you can observe Venus and Jupiter move closer In tonight‘s Astronomical event

Your ability to spot the astronomical event tonight depends on your region. If you live in New York City, astronomers reveal that the pairing will be visible at about 6:04 p.m. EST (2304 GMT). The two planets will be around 23 degrees over the horizon to the west at this exact time. They will likely move to disappear toward the horizon and will set around 2.5 hours after the sun.

If you hope to capture the closest approach, you should aim at capturing the astronomical event at 12:05 a.m. EST (0505 GMT) on Thursday, March 2. Astronomers announced that the two planets will be making their closest approach to each other at that time.

What Will Happen During the Close Approach

Once the event commences, Venus and Jupiter are expected to be in the constellation of Pisces. The hottest planet is expected to have a magnitude of about -4.0, while the largest planet will maintain a magnitude of -2.1. The minus prefix before the two magnitudes shows the brightness of the objects over Earth’s night sky. Hence, you should be able to tell the difference between the two planets from the visible light you see.

“They will be close enough to fit within the field of view of a telescope, but will also be visible to the naked eye or through a pair of binoculars,” In the Sky explained in an article.

With this guideline, you will learn the best ways to adjust your telescopes or binoculars to get the best view. Venus, which is the second planet from the sun has remained the hottest in the solar system. Comparing its size with Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, you will realize that about 1,400 Venus can fit inside one Jupiter. This estimation reveals the massive nature of Venus.

The difference in their sizes will also be noticeable in tonight’s observation. Even though Venus will be quite closer to Earth than Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system will still possess a more massive angular size in tonight’s parade. Astronomers reveal that while Jupiter will have an angular size of about 33”3, Venus will posses an angular size of about 12”2.

Conclusion

The astronomical event that will be taking place tonight is indeed a unique one. You can opt for the best telescopes to capture the best view of the hottest and largest planets in the solar system. What are your thoughts on this particular astronomical event?

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