Watch Venus and Jupiter align and light up the western sky at sunset
In a rare occurrence, the whole of this February 2023, and well into March 2023, the western skies at sunset will be lit up, as Venus and Jupiter align and come close to each other in the field of view, for a celestial tango.
Venus and Jupiter are the two brightest planets that are visible from Earth. And from late February to early March 2023, you can see Jupiter and Venus close together in the western sky after dusk.
Venus is a more brilliant world. As dusk falls, start searching towards the location of the sunset. The planets Venus and Jupiter will appear before any others stars and then continue to observe. With each passing day in February, the two will draw closer.
On March 1, 2023, Venus will pass Jupiter at 0.5 degrees (the width of a full moon). It would be a visual treat to watch them so close to each other on the dome of the sky.
However, you’ll appreciate them more if you start observing regularly and look out the window every evening to observe them get closer and closer to each other.
By March 1, Venus and Jupiter will so close that they can be seen with a single pair of binoculars. Delightful sight!
The Brightness of Venus and Jupiter
They are incredibly bright! If you look west after sunset, you won’t be able to miss them. When the two are closest in early March, Jupiter will be visible at a brightness magnitude of -2.1. Venus, however, is extremely bright at -4.0 magnitude.
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In fact, after the sun and moon, Venus is the third-brightest natural object in the sky. Some people with keen eyesight may even see Venus during the daytime thanks to its blazing brightness.
So don’t miss out, put on your astronomy hats, grab a pair of binoculars, get a reclining chair, and get set to treat yourself to an entire month of star gazing.
