Two planets will appear to ‘kiss’ in the sky tonight | CNN (2024)

Two planets will appear to ‘kiss’ in the sky tonight | CNN (1)

Jupiter, the moon and planet Venus, further right, observed on the sky photographed near Salgotarjan, Hungary, on February 22.

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Jupiter and Venus will appear very close together in the night sky on Wednesday, with the two planets set to pass each other in what’s known as a conjunction.

Jupiter will appear to shift westward, while a bright Venus will seem to move slowly in the other direction, NASA said.

Conjunctions between planets happen frequently because the celestial bodies orbit around the sun in approximately the same plane as one another and trace similar paths across our sky.

NASA said that the two planets would appear in the western sky above the horizon around 6:58 pm ET, as evening twilight ends on the East Coast of the United States.

At their closest, they’re expected to be just half a degree apart — about the diameter of a full moon, said Robert Massey, deputy executive director of the Royal Astronomical Society in the United Kingdom.

A photo taken by Tuomo Järvinen on a recent Finnair flight. From Tuomo Järvinen Why these flights made unscheduled loops in the sky

The best time to spot the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in the US will be early evening on Wednesday, but the two planets will continue to appear close together in the night sky on Thursday, he added. The conjunction will be visible to the naked eye.

Conjunctions have no particular astronomical significance, but they are a striking spectacle to view.

After the moon, Jupiter and Venus are currently the brightest objects in the sky, according to Gianluca Masi, an astronomer at the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Italy and head of the Virtual Telescope Project. He has organized a live feed to watch “the kiss between Venus and Jupiter.”

Two planets will appear to ‘kiss’ in the sky tonight | CNN (3)

Jupiter and Venus in conjunction are seen after sunset above L'Aquila, Italy, on March 1.

Here are the rest of 2023’s top sky events, so you can have your binoculars and telescope ready.

Full moons

The next full moon will occur on Tuesday, March 7, and that evening, Venus, Jupiter and Mars will also be visible in the night sky, NASA said. It’s sometimes known as the crow, crust, sap, sugar or worm moon.

Here are the other remaining full moons for 2023, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:

April 6: Pink moon

May 5: Flower moon

June 3: Strawberry moon

July 3: Buck moon

August 1: Sturgeon moon

August 30: Blue moon

September 29: Harvest moon

October 28: Hunter’s moon

November 27: Beaver moon

December 26: Cold moon

While these are the popularized names associated with the monthly full moon, each one carries its own significance across Native American tribes (with many also referred to by differing names).

There will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses in 2023

There will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses in 2023.

A total solar eclipse will occur on April 20, visible to those in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Antarctica. This kind of event occurs when the moon moves between the sun and Earth, blocking out the sun.

And for some sky-watchers in Indonesia, parts of Australia and Papua New Guinea, it will actually be a hybrid solar eclipse. The curvature of Earth’s surface can cause some eclipses to shift between total and annular as the moon’s shadow moves across the globe, according to NASA.

Like a total solar eclipse, the moon passes between the sun and the Earth during an annular eclipse — but it occurs when the moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth, according to NASA. This causes the moon to appear smaller than the sun, so it doesn’t completely block out our star and creates a glowing ring around the moon.

A Western Hemisphere-sweeping annular solar eclipse will occur on October 14 and be visible across the Americas.

A green comet named Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF), which last passed by our planet about 50,000 years ago, is seen from the Pico de las Nieves, in the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Borja Suarez/Reuters Green comet, visible in the night sky for first time since Stone Age, makes its closest pass by Earth

Be sure to wear proper eclipse glasses to safely view solar eclipses, as the sun’s light can be damaging to the eye.

A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur on May 5 for those in Africa, Asia and Australia. This less dramatic version of a lunar eclipse happens when the moon moves through the penumbra, or the faint, outer part of Earth’s shadow.

A partial lunar eclipse of the hunter’s moon on October 28 will be visible to those in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America. Partial eclipses occur when the sun, Earth and moon don’t completely align, so only part of the moon passes into shadow.

Meteor showers

Mark your calendar with the peak dates of meteor showers to watch in 2023:

Lyrids: April 22-23

Eta Aquariids: May 5-6

Southern delta Aquariids: July 30-31

Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31

Perseids: August 12-13

Orionids: October 20-21

Southern Taurids: November 4-5

Northern Taurids: November 11-12

Leonids: November 17-18

Geminids: December 13-14

Ursids: December 21-22

Two planets will appear to ‘kiss’ in the sky tonight | CNN (2024)

FAQs

Two planets will appear to ‘kiss’ in the sky tonight | CNN? ›

Jupiter and Venus

Venus
Venus has historically been a common and important object for humans, in both their cultures and astronomy. Orbiting inferiorly (inside of Earth's orbit), it always appears close to the Sun in Earth's sky, as either a "morning star" or an "evening star".
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Venus
will appear very close together in the night sky
night sky
The night sky is the nighttime appearance of celestial objects like stars, planets, and the Moon, which are visible in a clear sky between sunset and sunrise, when the Sun is below the horizon. Natural light sources in a night sky include moonlight, starlight, and airglow, depending on location and timing.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Night_sky
on Wednesday, with the two planets set to pass each other in what's known as a conjunction. Jupiter will appear to shift westward, while a bright Venus will seem to move slowly in the other direction, NASA said.

When two planets meet in the sky? ›

What is a conjunction in astronomy? In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when any two astronomical objects (such as asteroids, moons, planets, and stars) appear to be close together in the sky, as observed from Earth.

What are the two planets you can see at night? ›

What Planets Are Visible By the Naked Eye? The first step to identifying planets is to know which planets are possible to see without a telescope. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are the five brightest planets in our night sky and, therefore, observable by most people.

What are the two stars close together in the sky? ›

Double stars may be binary systems or may be merely two stars that appear to be close together in the sky but have vastly different true distances from the Sun. The latter are termed optical doubles or optical pairs.

What planets are kissing in 2024? ›

Venus Kisses Mars (before sunrise) One of 2024's closest planetary conjunctions will occur on the mornings surrounding Thursday, February 22. The brilliant planet Venus' return sunward will carry it only 0.6 degrees to the upper left (or celestial north) of far fainter Mars.

What happens when Jupiter and Venus kiss? ›

What is the Jupiter-Venus kiss? The Jupiter-Venus conjunction is when Venus passes Jupiter, just half a degree apart, as they orbit the sun. The largest planet and the hottest planet appear the closest to each other during this time.

What is the great conjunction in 2024? ›

One of 2024's most significant astrological events is taking place on Saturday, April 20, at exactly 10:27 p.m. ET: Jupiter and Uranus will align in Taurus for the first time since 1941. Is it a big deal? Yep! Read on to find out what this Jupiter-Uranus conjunction means for you.

What planets are aligned in 2024? ›

When is the next planet parade? The next planet parade is on June 3, 2024, when six planets – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – will align in the sky. Learn about planetary alignments and how to observe them with our colorful infographic.

Can 2 planets be next to each other? ›

In simple words, a planetary conjunction occurs when two or more planets appear close to each other in the sky. Such proximity of planets is an optical illusion — in reality, they are very far away from each other.

What planets can you see with the naked eye? ›

The five brightest planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. So long as you know when and where to look you can spot all five of these spectacular planets, just as people have enjoyed doing since ancient times.

Why is it light outside at 2am? ›

Pollution can contribute to sky glow, but natural dust and moisture will catch light from the ground or the moon and cause the sky background to glow with reflected light from the ground. This reflected light is called light pollution.

What are the fast moving lights in the night sky? ›

Starlink satellites, the string of lights in the night sky.

Why am I seeing two stars in the sky? ›

Double stars are two stars that appear close together in the sky. They might be physically related or they might only appear to lie together along our line of sight. Double stars that aren't gravitationally bound systems – but are only located near one another along our line of sight – are optical doubles.

What are the two bright lights in the sky? ›

Answer: Yes! Venus, the brighter of the two, is to the south (left when facing west) of the other bright guy, Jupiter.

What planet rules romantic relationships? ›

In astrology, Venus is the planet of love, beauty, harmony, seduction, and aesthetic taste, according to Edut. If you're familiar with how an astrological birth chart works, you'll know that each planet on your birth chart falls within one of the 12 zodiac signs and one of the 12 astrological houses.

What are the planets for love attraction? ›

Venus, known as the planet of love and beauty, is all about affection, attraction, and keeping the peace in relationships. It's like the soft, romantic side of things, guiding us in expressing our feelings and seeking harmony with our partners.

What are the most romantic planets? ›

These two planets represent different facets of romantic and sexual attraction:
  • Venus: Known as the planet of love and beauty, Venus is the primary planet associated with romantic relationships and attraction. ...
  • Mars: Mars, on the other hand, is the planet associated with passion, desire, and sexuality.
Dec 12, 2022

What planet would crush you? ›

Standing on the surface of Venus, you'd essentially be crushed by the sheer mass of all the atmosphere on top of you.

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