Two lights in the sky right now

Fri 24 Feb 2023, 08:30

Malcolm, Venus is by far the brightest planet in the night sky for a number of reasons. Although it is much smaller than Jupiter, it is also much nearer the Earth and the Sun. 

Venus is shrouded in a thick layer of clouds which reflect most of the sunlight it receives back into space. It also receives sunlight about 50 times as intense as that reaching distant Jupiter. So, Venus will always be brighter than Jupiter, or any other planet.

Thu 23 Feb 2023, 18:38

This is the met office picture for last night in Gloucestershire, Malcolm: https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/met-office-watch-venus-jupiters-8182455

Seemed pretty similar in Charlbury last night. 

Thu 23 Feb 2023, 18:17

We've just looked out - clear skies at 18.11hrs - and the the 3 objects are in a straight diagonal line. Moon on top, south and a bit west, a bright star, and on the same line going down, another planet.

How do we know which planet we are looking at? One of them seems visually larger and brighter, but despite Jupiter being much larger in real terms, in celestial terms of angles of light subtended, distance to observer eye and so forth loath to say the "apparently" bigger, visually, is the bigger planet! Help!

Thu 23 Feb 2023, 15:44

The Met Office has tipped people off as to the best time to see the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. On Wednesday (February 22) people could clearly see the planets either side of a bright crescent moon. 

On Thursday (Feb 23rd), the Met Office has said that the two planets and the moon should really be something worth looking at. Jupiter will be 'above' the moon and Venus 'below' it.

"The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter continues this evening and with the moon added in it will make for a spectacular sight. Between 6 and 7pm is the best viewing window, looking towards the west in the sky."

Mon 13 Feb 2023, 23:15

One Russian, one Chinese? :-)

Mon 13 Feb 2023, 19:04

They're Venus and Jupiter.

Venus is bottom right.

Mon 13 Feb 2023, 18:47

were they moveing ?chris w

Mon 13 Feb 2023, 18:33

Still there. I photographed them 

Mon 13 Feb 2023, 18:21

18.20 pm easily visible.