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Forbes
11 hours ago
- Science
- Forbes
Planet Parade: See Venus And Jupiter Shine As A ‘Double Star' On Tuesday
The two brightest planets to the naked eye, Venus and Jupiter, will pass to within a degree of each other in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Aug. 12, as part of a 'planet parade' — mistakenly called a planetary alignment by some — in an August edition of what happened back in February. The planetary views come just as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak. Venus and Jupiter will pass within a degree of each other in the pre-dawn night sky on Monday, Aug. 12. getty The current planet parade, which started around Aug. 10 and will continue through most of the month, features Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — though the latter two gas giant planets are too dim and distant to be seen with the naked eye. On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 12, Venu and Jupiter, shining at magnitudes -4.0 and -1.9, respectively, will appear to be 0.9 degrees from each other in what astronomers call an appulse or close conjunction. The planet parade — and the conjunction — will be best seen about two or three hours before sunrise, with the planets' rise times depending on location. The best advice is to find a location with an unobstructed eastern horizon and look to the east-northeast horizon. There is no need for binoculars or a telescope. The Perseid meteor shower will peak overnight on Aug. 12/13, though the presence of a bright moon will likely lessen its up to 75 'shooting stars' per hour. According to The Planetary Society, a planetary conjunction is when two or more planets appear close together from our perspective on Earth, such as the view of Venus and Jupiter. However, a planetary conjunction can also include the moon, so you may hear about a conjunction between the moon and Venus, or the moon and Jupiter. However, it's essential to recognize that a conjunction is a line-of-sight illusion, where objects appear to be close together in the sky. In reality, the planets and the moon are many millions of miles apart. What Is A Planet Parade? Planet parades — though not an astronomical term — happen when several solar system planets appear close together in the sky from our point of view on Earth, according to the BBC Sky At Night. Again, it's an illusion, and inevitable at some point given that the planets orbit the sun from different distances, but on the same plane of the solar system — the ecliptic. Since Neptune and Uranus are very dim and impossible to see with the naked eye, only Saturn, Jupiter and Mars of the outer planets can be seen in the middle of the night. Venus and Mercury, which orbit close to the sun, can only ever be seen close to sunrise or sunset, which is why planet arcs always happen just before sunrise or just after sunset, when one or both of the inner planets are visible. When you're outside looking for Venus and Saturn, you likely won't have a problem. After all, Venus and Saturn will be very bright. However, Mercury and Saturn are harder to discern from stars. The key thing to remember is that planets don't twinkle like stars — they shine with a steady light. That's because they have a much larger apparent size than stars, and because they're much closer. Further Reading Forbes How To Easily Find The 'Northern Cross' In The Sky This Weekend By Jamie Carter Forbes Strange New Object Found In Solar System 'Dancing' With Neptune By Jamie Carter Forbes See The Perseid Meteor Shower Now Before It Peaks, Experts Say By Jamie Carter
Forbes
6 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Don't Miss This Week's Dazzling Venus-Jupiter Encounter — Now Showing
This month, it's all about Venus and Jupiter. Over the next week, the two brightest planets in the night sky will slowly get closer together, culminating on Aug. 12 when the gap between them will be less than a degree — the width of a little finger held at arm's length. That will be the time to see the planets at their closest conjunction (the name astronomers give the phenomenon), but if you love the night sky, all this week it will be possible to see them get closer and, next week, to watch them go their separate ways. Here's everything you need to know about the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter this August 2025. Where And When To Look The two brightest planets will be just above the east-northeast horizon about an hour before sunrise all month. Before Aug. 12, Venus will be higher than Jupiter, a situation that's reversed after that date. What You'll See Venus and Jupiter will completely dominate the east-northeast pre-dawn sky for the entire month. Jupiter will get closer to Venus, from about seven degrees on Aug. 5 to a mere 0.9 degrees on Aug. 12, then back to seven degrees on Aug. 20. For that final week of the event, you may also see tiny Mercury appear close to the horizon, below Venus, about 45 minutes before sunrise. Although the close encounter of Venus and Jupiter will undoubtedly peak on Aug. 12, arguably the skywatching highlight will come on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20 when a beautiful waning crescent moon will visit the two planets. Observing Tips All you need is your naked eyes to see the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. However, if you do have binoculars, they will be helpful not only to help pick out Mercury in the horizon haze, but also to see Jupiter's Galilean moons — Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa — as bright dots either side of Jupiter's bright disk. However, stop using binoculars well before sunrise to avoid the risk of pointing them at the sun, which is extremely dangerous. What's Next In The Night Sky The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter is part of a dazzling "planet parade" taking place between Aug. 10-20 in the eastern sky about an hour before sunrise. While Venus and Jupiter 'dance' and Mercury rises, Saturn will be high in the south, with Neptune just above it (though not visible). Uranus will be high in the southeast (also not visible). The closest conjunction of Venus and Jupiter takes place on the same day as the annual Perseid meteor shower peaks overnight on Aug. 12-13, though its rates of meteors will likely dip this year because of a bright moon. From mid-August is the best time of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere to see the brightest part of the Milky Way. Use a light pollution map to find a dark sky or visit a Dark Sky Place and look southeast as soon as it gets dark. For exact timings, use a sunrise and sunset calculator for where you are, Stellarium Web for a sky chart and Night Sky Tonight: Visible Planets at Your Location for positions and rise/set times for planets.
Forbes
20-07-2025
- Science
- Forbes
When To See The Moon And Venus Pair Up On Monday
The waning crescent Moon rising in a wide conjunction with Venus in the pre-dawn sky, over a snowy ... More field. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Early risers on Monday, July 21, will be treated to a striking scene in the eastern sky before sunrise as a slender crescent moon hangs just above brilliant Venus, with the red-orange star Aldebaran completing an equilateral triangle. Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation Taurus, the bull, and the eye of the animal. It's surrounded by a V-shape of stars in the night sky called the Hyades, an open cluster of stars, with two stars making a larger V-shape that acts as the horns of Taurus. However, Venus and the moon will, for one morning only, become the horns in an entrancing triangle of light. Where And When To Look The best time to catch the view will be about 45 minutes before sunrise on July 21. Look low in the east, where a 15%-lit waning crescent moon will be just above Venus. To the right of the pair will be Aldebaran, forming a near-perfect triangle. Monday, July 21: A Triangle Of Moon, Venus And Aldebaran What You'll See There will be much to see within and around the triangle. With Venus at magnitude –3.9, it will outshine everything around it except the moon, whose unlit portion will faintly glow with Earthshine — a soft reflection of sunlight bouncing off Earth's oceans and clouds. The Hyades stars around Aldebaran will also be worth making out. So, too, the contrast between Aldebaran's reddish glow and the white brilliance of Venus. While the Pleiades cluster isn't part of the triangle, it will be just above the trio in the eastern sky. Observing Tips You'll need to observe the conjunction from somewhere with a clear line of sight to the eastern horizon and minimal light pollution. No special equipment is needed to enjoy this conjunction, though binoculars will help you appreciate the delicate Earthshine, the Hyades and the Pleiades. What's Next in The Night Sky Just two mornings later, on July 23, a very slender waning crescent moon will rise near Jupiter in deep twilight, low in the east-northeast just before sunrise. It will be the moon's final visible appearance before the new moon. For exact timings, use a sunrise and sunset calculator for where you are, Stellarium Web for a sky chart and Night Sky Tonight: Visible Planets at Your Location for positions and rise/set times for planets. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
