Submitted by steve tgs on Sat, 2008/12/06 - 20:57.
The three brightest objects in the night sky - Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon - will crowd around each other for an unusual group shot this weekend.
Starting Thursday evening, Jupiter and Venus will begin moving closer together.
By Sunday and Monday, they will appear two degrees apart.
Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine, says that would be about a finger width held out at arm's length.
Then on Monday night, he says, they will be joined by a crescent moon right next to them.
Look in the southwestern sky around twilight - no telescope or binoculars needed.
The show will even be visible in cities if it's a clear night.
"It'll be a head-turner," MacRobert said. "This certainly is an unusual coincidence for the crescent moon to be right there in the days when they are going to be closest together."
The moon is the brightest, closest and smallest of the three and is about 405,550 kilometres away. Venus, the second brightest, closest and smallest, is 151 million kilometres away. And big Jupiter is 869 million kilometres away.
The three celestial objects come together from time to time, but often they are too close to the sun or unite at a time when they aren't so visible. The next time the three will be as close and visible as this week will be Nov. 18, 2052, according to Jack Horkheimer, director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.
But if you are willing to settle for two out of three - Venus and the crescent moon only - it will happen again on New Year's Eve, MacRobert said.
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bright stars.....
The three brightest objects in the night sky - Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon - will crowd around each other for an unusual group shot this weekend.
Starting Thursday evening, Jupiter and Venus will begin moving closer together.
By Sunday and Monday, they will appear two degrees apart.
Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine, says that would be about a finger width held out at arm's length.
Then on Monday night, he says, they will be joined by a crescent moon right next to them.
Look in the southwestern sky around twilight - no telescope or binoculars needed.
The show will even be visible in cities if it's a clear night.
"It'll be a head-turner," MacRobert said. "This certainly is an unusual coincidence for the crescent moon to be right there in the days when they are going to be closest together."
The moon is the brightest, closest and smallest of the three and is about 405,550 kilometres away. Venus, the second brightest, closest and smallest, is 151 million kilometres away. And big Jupiter is 869 million kilometres away.
The three celestial objects come together from time to time, but often they are too close to the sun or unite at a time when they aren't so visible. The next time the three will be as close and visible as this week will be Nov. 18, 2052, according to Jack Horkheimer, director of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium.
But if you are willing to settle for two out of three - Venus and the crescent moon only - it will happen again on New Year's Eve, MacRobert said.
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