Jupiter and Venus to have a planetary conjunction on 1st March
There is always something or the other happening on the space front. This time too it is nothing new. Okay, so what’s the latest development? It turns out that two planets in the solar system, Earth’s neighbour, Venus and the largest planet Jupiter are on their way to nearly cross paths on 1st March. This unusual celestial phenomenon can be viewed from the Earth and will unfold in the night sky (right after sunset), making it a once in a lifetime opportunity for serious stargazers.
While Venus is expected to shine bright with a magnitude of -4.0, Jupiter on the other hand is anticipated to display twice the brightness with a magnitude of -2.0, almost as vibrant as Sirius.
Meanwhile, Earth’s only satellite Moon will come in close proximity to Venus and Jupiter on 21st and 22nd February. In fact, the Moon will be hanging around 7 degrees below Venus, after which it will slowly faced away. From this point onwards, the two planets will continue marching towards one another for their much-anticipated rare planetary conjunction.
As per several media sources, both the planets were separated by 29 degrees at the start of this month and are now progressively coming closer. At present, they appear to be about “three fists” away from each other. However, the good news is, almost every night, this distance seems to be reducing. For instance, on the night on 20th February, the gap between the two planets had gone down to a little over 9 degrees. Astronomers believe that by 27th February, this gap will shrink to 2.3 degrees. Okay, will that be the maximum shrinkage? Fortunately, not! On the D-Day, that is 1st March, Venus and Jupiter will only be 0.52 degrees apart.
The intensified spatial push from both these planets will also ensure that our Moon is also at its lustrous this week. Interestingly, even though the distance between the Earth and the Moon is 384,400 kilometres, it will seem much closer. In fact, you can see a sliver of the waxing crescent moon only an hour after the sunset. Where? By looking at the west-southwest lower horizon. Be ready with your telescopes and binoculars!!