The Venus and Jupiter conjunction is creating a spectacular view for tri-state stargazers.  Here's the best time to look up!

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Stargazing

There's always something special about looking up at the night sky on a clear night.  My parents have always been stargazers, and call me anytime they see a cool sight in the night sky, and I've begun looking at the stars myself.  I've always been fascinated by the night sky.

Last night (February 28th) my son was having a rough night, and during times I can't get him to calm down, I've found taking him outside and walking will help him calm down.  I looked up to the sky and pointed to the moon and it was the first time he's really paid attention to it (he's 17 months old).  As he was fascinated looking up at the moon, I noticed there were two very bright, very close-together stars that I had never noticed before.  So I went to Google to figure out what I was seeing, and it turns out I wasn't seeing stars, I was seeing Jupiter and Venus, and they're about to get even closer!

What is the Venus and Jupiter Conjunction?

If you happen to notice the two really bright stars to the west just after sunset, what you are looking at is Venus and Jupiter, and they're about to get closer. The Venus and Jupiter conjunction is underway, so what does that mean? ScienceFocus.com describes a conjunction as the event when two astronomical objects (in this case, two planets) appear close together in the sky from the earth's vantage point.

When to see the Venus and Jupiter Conjunction

While any clear night throughout the next few days is a great time to look to the night sky and see Venus and Jupiter if you want to see them when they're the closest together in our area look to the western sky just after sunset on March 1st.  This is when our area will see Venus and Jupiter at their closest point to each other. Some people like to refer to this as the planets "kissing" since they will appear very close to each other in the sky.

EarthSky.org is a great resource for astronomical events, here is what they have to say about the Venus and Jupiter Conjunction:

Throughout February 2023, our sky’s 2 brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter – have been edging closer together. The Venus and Jupiter conjunction will happen on March 1-2, 2023. Wow-zer! As seen from the Americas, their closest pairing is shortly after sunset on March 1. After their conjunction, Venus will continue its reign as our bright evening “star” until August 2023. Jupiter will disappear into the sunset glare sometime in March. Don’t miss the conjunction of bright planets Venus and Jupiter!