Venus and Jupiter conjunction. Moon nearby!
Image Credit: bossco
November 30, 2008.
Here’s a gathering of sky objects you won’t want to miss tonight and tomorrow night shortly after sunset.
You’ll find the bright planets Venus and Jupiter near the place the sun went down, with a waxing crescent moon nearby. They’re low in the sky – but beautiful both November 30 and December 1. With the exception of the sun and moon, Venus is the brightest light in the heavens, and Jupiter is second-brightest.
The Venus/Jupiter conjunction happens when these objects have the same right ascension on the sky’s dome. It’s as if they cross the same line of longitude in the sky and – for a brief time – beam north and south of one another on the sky’s dome. A conjunction of the two brightest planets won’t happen again until March of 2012. During this particular Venus and Jupiter conjunction, these two brilliant worlds appear 2 degrees apart. That’s about the width of your finger at an arm length away.
It’s possible – but extremely rare – to see two planets appear to merge into a single point of light. The last time two planets met up at the same spot on the sky’s dome was in the year 1818, when Venus passed in front of Jupiter. Tonight and tomorrow night, look for Venus, Jupiter, and the crescent moon in the west after sunset.
Conjunctions of two planets are fairly common. The planets often meet and appear close together the sky’s dome. But an occultation – or covering over – of one planet by another is very rare. Two planets won’t meet again on the sky’s dome for another 247 years – or until Venus occults Jupiter in the year 2065.
The Venus/Jupiter conjunction in right ascension takes place on November 30, 2008 at 7 p.m. Central Time (1:00 Universal Time on December 1).
Don’t mean to be a nit-wit, but is the math on the next Venus/Jupiter occultation correct? 247 years, or 2065, or 2255? Or am I misreading something?
Hi Jennimi.
A planetary conjunction refers to two planets that share the same right ascension on the sky’s dome. Right ascension on the stellar sphere is the equivalent of longitude here on Earth. When two planets are in conjunction, they are north and south of one another – except in very rare instances when one planet actually occults (passes directly in front of) the other planet.
This upcoming Venus/Jupiter conjunction on November 30 will not be an occultation. That’s because these two planets won’t be in the same exact spot in the sky. For an occultation to happen, Venus would have to move directly in front of Jupiter.
Venus last occulted Jupiter on January 3, 1818. Venus will next occult Jupiter on November 22, 2065, which is 247 years after the year 1818.
Sorry for any confusion!
Bruce
Ah! OK, I appreciate the clarification! Thank you for taking the time to explain that.
Ah! OK, I appreciate the clarification! Thank you for taking the time to explain that. Very exciting on many levels in any case!
Conjunctions of two planets are fairly common. The planets often meet and appear close together the sky’s dome. But an occultation – or covering over – of one planet by another is very rare. Two planets won’t meet again on the sky’s dome for another 247 years – or until Venus occults Jupiter in the year 2065.
I BELIEVE THE ABOVE IS TALKING ABOUT TWO “OTHER” PLANETS WON’T MEET AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 247 YEARS, NOT VENUS/JUPITER. VENUS/JUPITER WILL OCCULT IN 2065.
There are 2 planet-planet occultations in the 19th century (1801-1900); none in the 20th century (1901-2000); and 5 in the 21st century (2001-2100). They are as follows:*
1808 December 9: Mercury occults Saturn
1818 January 3: Venus occults Jupiter
2065 November 22: Venus occults Jupiter
2067 July 15: Mercury occults Neptune
2079 August 11: Mercury occults Mars
2088 October 27: Mercury occults Jupiter
2094 April 7: Mercury occults Jupiter
* page 181 of More Mathematical Astronomy Morsels by Jean Meeus
Source:
Actually all the three moon, Venus and the Jupiter will make crowd on 1st December 2008. On 2nd December the moon crescent will move away but Venus and Jupiter will come side by side almost like car headlights. Please correct me if I am wrong…
mpk,
Sounds right to me. The planets Venus and Jupiter will appear nearly side by side on December 2 – at least as seen from mid-northern latitudes. From middle latitudes south of the equator, these planets will appear to be more up and down. For more, read our December 2 EarthSky Tonight: Keep watching moon, Venus, Jupiter.
Bruce
I feel stupid asking this, but I have to. The Earth is between Venus and Jupiter in the Solar System. How is it that Venus and Jupiter ever end up lining up on the same side of the Earth?
Hi Terry.
Yes, you are right. The orbit of Earth circles the sun in between the orbits of Venus and Jupiter. But that doesn’t mean the Earth itself is always between Venus and Jupiter, because the positions of these planets relative to one another are always changing as they revolve around the sun. Presently, Venus is between the Earth and Jupiter, because Venus (as seen from Earth) resides to the side of the sun, whereas the more distant Jupiter lies beyond the far side of the sun. A diagram that shows the present positions of the planets should help you to picture these planets in space, so I’m sending you Solar System Live by John Walker.
Bruce
I live in the Vancouver, B.C. area pacific standard time…will we be able to see Venus & Jupiter do their thing? and if we can what time will we see it…I would love my daughter to see this…
Lauri,
Yes, you’ll be able to see Venus & Jupiter do their thing, starting tonight! Look to the southwest shortly after sunset to see these worlds beaming like lighthouses at dusk and early evening. For more information, read Get ready for the Venus/Jupiter conjunction.
Clear Skies!
Bruce
hi, do we dare drift from the scientific to the romantic? It Was Not Meant to Be Like two bright beacons, Venus and Jupiter are dancing in the night sky. They tell me it’s an optical illusion but I dont know the reason why. They appear to be moving toward each other in the dark mysterious sky, Like two lovers, longing to touch and at least give love a try. Who else can be seen waltzing on that great dance floor in the sky? While batherd in the display of Earthshine, as a gift simply to beautify. Ms. Crescent is found in the arms of old Mr. Moon, no rules to defy, And for a brief intimate moment on each other rely. Like two hopeless lovers, Venus and Jupiter are dancing alone in the sky, Why cant they travel together and their cares simplify? They appear to be reaching for each other in the dark mysterious sky, Nonetheless…still separated by two degrees…
so close they could cry. A new season of travel unfolds on that great dance floor in the sky, After passing Jupiter, Venus will continue for awhile without her guy. She appears to be eager to begin again and give love another try, However, this time it was not meant to be…you might hear her sigh.
I saw this tonight driving north toward Eugene,Oregon, with a rare clear night sky. Absolutely stunning…so came home to learn more. thanks E&S.
I live in south lake Tahoe, Ca. and I saw Venus and Jupiter and the crescent moon just after sunset,while driving down hwy. 50 with super clear skys!! Wow!! What a sight to see!! Can’t wait to see more tomorrow eve.
Will this only happen in the west?
Just viewed this wonderful spectacle from the clear, dusky blue sky of Jerusalem!
We are in the south of scotland , on the east coast , where it is about minus 5 just now , and clear. Looking to the south Venus and Joop are doing their beautiful dance … thanks for all the info
I guess Venus and Jupiter have been visible for several days now, as I for the last several evenings after sunset I have looked up and thought (given that I have no astronomy knowledge whatsoever), “those two distinctly bright stars, one above the other (in PA), have to be planets. After seeing them so clearly again last night I had to get online and find out what I was seeing. Thanks for the article and the discussion which helped me solve it and truly understand it!
I’m so happy that this meeting of Venus and Jupiter happened to strike me as so odd and wonderful in our Western sky, here in Massachusetts last night, that I caught my neighbor as she was going into her house and pointed it out to her. Immediately, she looked up this web site and sent me all that has gone before. I feel connected not only to the universe above but to all of you who are writing in. What a miracle! (Alas tonight, the 30th, it’s a drizzly sleet outside…but not where most of YOU are!) Thanks to all!
I’m so happy that this meeting of Venus and Jupiter happened to strike me as so odd and wonderful in our Western sky, here in Massachusetts last night, that I caught my neighbor as she was going into her house and pointed it out to her. Immediately, she looked up this web site and sent me all that has gone before. I feel connected not only to the universe above but to all of you who are writing in. What a miracle! (Alas tonight, the 30th, it’s a drizzly sleet outside…but not where most of YOU are!) Thanks to all!
I’m so happy that this meeting of Venus and Jupiter happened to strike me as so odd and wonderful in our Western sky, here in Massachusetts last night, that I caught my neighbor as she was going into her house and pointed it out to her. Immediately, she looked up this web site and sent me all that has gone before. I feel connected not only to the universe above but to all of you who are writing in. What a miracle! (Alas tonight, the 30th, it’s a drizzly sleet outside…but not where most of YOU are!) Thanks to all!
I’ve been seeing the two planets on my drive home from work. I wondered what they were. Thanks for the information. Is this a frequent occurence? I read the discussion about occultation, but what about this in particular? I am going to take my wife and 4 month old out to see this. I know my baby girl most likely won’t remember but I want her so see it more so in case this is a rare occurrence.
I’ve been seeing the two planets on my drive home from work. I wondered what they were. Thanks for the information. I read the paragraph about conjunction, but what about these two planets in particular? I am going to take my wife and 4 month old out to see this. I know my baby girl most likely won’t remember but I want her so see it more so in case this is a rare occurrence between these two planets. Its a beautiful sight to see indeed.
I have been watching these two planets, Venus and Jupiter for a couple of evenings now. I can’t remember when Venus has been so bright in the night sky here in Ohio. I was glad to read your website about what was taking place between these two planets. Thanks for the information! Sylvia Lavey, Author
For those with esoteric interests, astrology has said for thousands of years that the meeting of Venus and Jupiter (i.e conjuntion) in the sky portends a time of luck and love, excess and good times socially. This will be tempered by the plants meeting in the sign of Capricorn, which demands work before pleasure, seriousness before laughter. However, the hard work is always rewarded when Jupiter and Venus meet. I hope that this is true for our world, which is in desperate need of some joy and happiness and good news.
For those with esoteric interests, astrology has said for thousands of years that the meeting of Venus and Jupiter (i.e conjuntion) in the sky portends a time of luck and love, excess and good times socially. This will be tempered by the plants meeting in the sign of Capricorn, which demands work before pleasure, seriousness before laughter. However, the hard work is always rewarded when Jupiter and Venus meet. I hope that this is true for our world, which is in desperate need of some joy and happiness and good news.
It’s now 9pm on December 1st in Brisbane , Australia….and we have just been out on the footpath ( pavement) to see the spectacular Venus, Jupiter and moon formation….what a sight to see. We think we have the ‘biggest’ sky downunder of course.
KITANG KITA DITO SA AMIN ANG PLANETARY CONJUNCTION OF VENUS AND JUPITER…DITO AKO NAKATIRA SA POLO VALENZUELA PHILS…NAKASMILE ANG MOON NA PARANG MAY TWO EYES…DI KO TO MAKAKALIMUTAN HABANG AKO AY NABUBUHAY…ANG SAYA SAYA…KASO ILANG ORAS LANG…MGA 8 PM NAWALA NA RIN AGAD..AT LEAST IM LUCKY TO SEE THAT VIEW..PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Wow. I saw it this evening and though it was really beautiful. I was planning to take a photo of it but forgot. I didn’t know this kind of thing happened with such historical significance. Mental note: from now on, I’m keeping track of these things.
I’m looking at it from Mumbai, India and it looks exactly like a smiley in the sky It’s beautiful! And made us smile a little at a time when the mood is somber.
Namitha,
I’m glad that a clear sky in Mumbai, India enabled you to witness the beautiful evening tableau and to smile a little. I wish to send whatever blessings I can to the heartbroken in Mumbai and the rest of the world. Blessed are the peacemakers, such as Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King.
Bruce
Yes, the already rather dark clean night sky of Africa, Botswana had a beuatiful sight of both Venus and Jupiter, with the moon seeming to smile to each of the planets. I wonder if such a wonderful phenon comes by mistake, through big bangs or there is an intelligent creator. I guess the earth still holds a lot of secrets for us, time will tell. In Africa we will surely enjoy it, with less light pollution, candles being at work in a good part of the continent. At least being one good thing for us, undisturbed nature still smiling .
Came home from work and saw the brilliant “stars” to the right bottom of a shining clear crescent moon. I knew I had never seen such a sight in my life time, so I rushed home to research what this was. I ran in to urge my husband to see this most breathtaking sight. The Heaven’s declare the glory of the Lord.
Can someone please tell me the significance of this smiling face and all these large planets lining up? I feel intuitively that this is a magickal event and yet no one mentions this. Can anyone shed light on this pse?
My Seven year old son Charles observed the smile and alerted the whole family to come out and watch. thanks Charles you will grow up to be a great scientist. Yes Engineer Aida, when you called and said someone is watching with a smile i thought you had had enough and it was time to go home. Thanks for alerting me. I wached the wonderful phenomena in Nairobi Kenya.Now that a wonderful explanation has been given, anything for tonight in this region?
This is realy fantastic and i think that now everyone on this world is glorifying the creator for His miraculous powers.He is able to make wonders and anything enteresting u can think of. John (Uganda)
I wonder how God does His things,but anyway he is able.It was an eye
Job around 7:00pm in Uganda when the brightness covered the sky from
the three twins i.e the moon ,jupiter and Venus.Sorry,if someone missed this party.
My question is why are all panetary conjunctions not occultations. It seems to me that they would be if all planetary orbits are coplanar. So my conclusion is that they are not coplanar. Is that correct or is there a different explanation.
coyotewaits,
Yes, you came to the correct conclusion! All planetary conjunctions are not occultations, because the orbital planes of the planets are not exactly coplanar. Since the orbital planes of the planets don’t vary greatly, planets at least come fairly close to each other at conjunction. If you’d like to know the orbital inclinations for the solar system planets relative to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane), check out this Planetary Fact Sheet.
Sorry, coyotewaits. Let me give you a working link: Planetary Fact Sheet
Bruce
When was the last date all three were alligned as this? I am curious to see what the world had going on at that time. I see the info about jupiter and venus together, but not all 3. Here in colorado, usa, the moon was above when we viewed it.
It was around 5 or 6 Pm in Lebanon and I was out in the front yard with my children I looked at the sky as every night I always look for venus it fascinates me (as I use Shiny Star as a nickname) and saw an amazingggggg,lovely SMILEY FACE that was made from Venus Jupiter and the Moon,WE were sooooo Lucky to see that.Actually I see it as if it’s God from the sky was showing us his face always smiling …..God bless all
What a sight in the evening of December 1, 2008 when my sister and I saw the three bright lights in the western sky here in Manila, Philippines while we were on our way home riding the bus. The sky was clear and the lights can be distinctly seen on the sky. It was like somebody was smiling from above… that it made me ponder and reflect. As we face yet another economic crisis nowadays that is felt worldwide, it’s as if God is telling us there is still reason to smile. In light of Christmas just around the corner, we are reminded of the hope we have in Christ and that God is still in control. He is and will always be the Sovereign God we could put our hope and faith upon. All praise and glory to Him who reigns forever and ever!
A conjunction of the two brightest planets won’t happen again until March of 2012.
So will be able to see this again in 2012 or 2065? Sorry I’m confused.
Thanks for all you do,
Linda
Hi Linda.
Yes, given clear skies, you’ll be able to see the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on the evening of March 15, 2012. Actually, there are two Venus/Jupiter conjunctions before that one – on February 16, 2010, and May 11, 2011. But these Venus/Jupiter conjunctions will be close to the sun’s glare, so they’ll be hard to see.
At conjunction, two planets are usually close together, but not in the same exact spot in the sky. When two planets are north and south of each other on the sky’s dome, they are said to be in conjunction. In extremely rare cases, the nearer planet will pass directly in front of the farther planet, blocking the farther planet from view. This rare kind of planetary conjunction is called an occultation. On November 22, 2065, Venus will occult Jupiter, for the first planet/planet occultation since January 3, 1818.
Hope that helps to clarify things, but please write back if you need more explanation.
Bruce
My friend thought it was a UFO! I was so scared when I saw it!
My friend thought it was a UFO! I was so scared when I saw it!
The moon, Jupiter and Venus formed an almost perfect smiley from where I was on December 1, 2008. At 6:00pm (GMT+8), many necks turned and the next thing I knew, my friend began taking shots of the celestial bodies in a night sky.
You can see the images at…
http://www.sidmacatol.com/2008/12/02/did-the-moon-and-the-stars-smile-at-you-lately/
I just read in other sites that it will happen again on November 18, 2052.
i’m very happy because i saw this phenomen or this great and rare phenomen at live ( on direct) by my eyes from morocco .i was every day when i see it (venus-jupiter) asking myself about it . venus ! i knew it but jupiter i know it now .
ferdaous , morocco, castellejos