Venus/Jupiter Conjunction Tomorrow

TigerNut writes "I've been watching Venus and Jupiter creep closer together in the morning sky for the last few weeks, and tomorrow will be their closest approach, according to this table. The table also indicates this will be the closest that Venus and Jupiter will appear until 2014. Happy viewing! There's more on the conjunction at Universe Today."

Comments

Best viewing point?

[Nermal6693]

So, where in the world should you be, to get the best view? :)

Re:Best viewing point?

[LewsTherinKinslayer]

So, where in the world should you be, to get the best view? :)

Outside.

Re:Best viewing point?

[Tablizer]

Outside.

No, this is slashdot, dude. He wants an MPEG URL.

Re:Best viewing point?

[Gordonjcp]

I stay in Glasgow (about half-way up the west coast of Scotland, for the geographically-challenged). I saw the two planets very close together yesterday morning on my way to work. About 0600 they were fairly high in the east, and apparently about, er... (holds arm out with thumb and index finger about an inch apart) *that* far apart. Don't know what that is in arc units. Very cool. I would have stopped for a photo but I was on the motorway and running a little late.

Re:Best viewing point?

[frizzbit]

Since closest approach was at 1:57 UT and Venus and Jupiter rise an hour before sunrise that means anywhere where it is dawn at around this time, which would be southern and eastern Africa, Saudi Arabia, Middle East, central Asia and eastern Siberia.

Your exact location does really matter though since the planets move slowly enough that the planets will still be very close if you look today or tomorrow morning. You need to get out just as dawn is begining to break and look in the east (the direction where the sun is early in the morning). Providing there is nothing much obstructing your view in that direction near the horizon you should be able to spot the two planets close together before the sun comes up.

How to know you're definitely looking at Venus and Jupiter?

They will be brighter than any stars but not by that much with Venus noticeably brighter than Jupiter.

Both pale yellow/orange.

Will rise together. You will not see their separation change unless you look the next morning.

Re:Best viewing point?

[erick99]

If you live in the U.S. you should have a good view. Most astronomy sites say the northen hemisphere in general. On Nov. 9th the moon/Venus/Jupiter will form an impressive triangle worth seeing.

Re:Best viewing point?

[tonsofpcs]

Probably either NASA TV or behind the lens of a telescope or large telephoto camera lens.

--
My manual camera (Minolta X-370s or SRT-202 depending on my mood) should have a great view [260mm lens with 2x multiplier]

Planet Triangle

[BortQ]

Shit, Mars is gonna FREAK OUT if he catches Jupiter slam-bamming his babe Venus. I sure hope they made sure that the sun is blocking their 'conjuction'.

Of course, I also hope that they are putting this show on pay-per-view, cause that Venus chick is HOT!

Re:Planet Triangle

[tuxter]

And Uranus is shitting itself.

Re:Planet Triangle

[mrpuffypants]

I just don't see what a steamy celestial body like Venus could ever see in a big old fat bag of gas like Jupiter.

However, I've heard from this Soviet chick, Venera, that Venus is just crushing when it comes to the pressure that she exerts on anybody that even tries to get near her. Sure it's nice and hot the closer you get to the surface but, eventually, you just get squashed and she barely even notices.

Pictures!

[BisonHoof]

Excellent pictures here: http://www.digitalsky.org.uk/vj_conj_nov04.html

Re:Pictures!

[Gamasta]

Yeah, really nice pictures.

Notice also that close to the second biggest light source (meaning Jupiter) are several bright dots in a line. For those who have never seen this through a telescope, it was first observed by Galileu in 1610. Those are its four biggest satellites of Jupiter. You can see them well in the last pictures.

Guiding Star III

[Tablizer]

A conjunction very much like the one occurring on the 5th occurred in August of the year 3 B.C. ... That year Venus and Jupiter were only 10 arc-minutes or 0.16 degrees apart...With such a narrow separation, light reflected from the two would seem to merge into one as seen with the unaided eye. Some scholars have speculated that this close conjunction may have been interpreted as a sign by ... the wise men

Oh great, another religious figure will be born and there will be even more religions fighting with each other over land and The-One-True-Religion bragging rights.

At this pace, one of these days a cult will form around comets and they will kill themselves to send their souls to a comet......oh wait.

Hmm

[Dachannien]

Sounds like those Skeksis had better hurry up and make peace with the Gelflings.

Conjunction junction, what's your function?

[fname]

In case anyone doesn't know what a conjunction is, I found a good reference.

Apparently they're for hooking up words and phrases and clauses.

Re:Many eclipsi

[tetranitrate]

All in all, a good night, but I think that the eclipse was visible over quite a large area.

Lunar eclipses are visible to the whole world, at least those those that can see the moon between the times of umbral contacts, which is usually more than half the world.

During a lunar eclipse everyone sees the same thing (well almost due to parallax), since it isn't the Earth being eclipsed, but the moon. During a solar eclipse the Earth is being eclipsed, and so we see it differently depending on where we are on Earth. If we were on the moon, solar eclipses would look the same to everyone.

Re:arafat and bush

[Forthan Red]

Planetary conjunctions were outlawed in 10 states on Tuesday. You'd better hope they don't find out about this. 'Course, those people aren't real big on "all that scientific stuff", so maybe they won't notice.

Re:Anti-astrological note

[Anonymous Coward]

conjunction:
(3) noun; an alignment of three or more astronomical bodies

This is a conjunction of Earth, Venus, and Jupiter. Not all lines coincide with the Sun. I agree with your statement, "this is obvious to anyone with an education", but I must add the caveat of having the capability to apply it.

Nostradamus got it right!

[skimitar]

From Century XI.3:

Quand ardent Jupiter avec son regard fixe de perforation transpercera Venus juste carrément en son échine.
Alors l'un triomphe singe-fait face au-dessus de son ennemi.
Et les auteurs au Forum déploreront. Et fureur contre RIAA et SCO (comme d'habitude).

When fiery Jupiter with his piercing gaze
Shall spear fair Venus squarely in her loins
Then shall the monkey-faced one triumph over his foe
And the writers to the Forum shall lament
And rail against RIAA and SCO

Re:Many eclipsi

[AGMW]

You don't brag about "meeting a girl" unless you're a virgin or really polite

Now, if he'd said meating ...