After the rare sightings of the Nothern Lights this week, UK sky gazers will get the chance to see Venus and Jupiter almost touch in another celestial spectacle tomorrow.
The solar system’s two brightest planets will appear to be close enough to collide tonight, despite being millions of kilometres apart.
Stargazers have been tracking the movements of Jupiter and Venus gradually drawing nearer to one another over the past few days.
At the beginning of March this week, the planets are expected to come together as one shimmering whole in the sky.
This phenomenon is called a ‘planetary conjunction’, which occurs when two planets appear to meet in the same part of the sky.
Jupiter and Venus have been occupying the same part of the sky since February 20 and will continue to do so until March 10.
Last week, between February 21 and 23, they were also joined by the moon, which made for some spectacular pictures.
How can I see Jupiter and Venus meet in the sky from the UK?
For most of this week, you’ll be able to spot the planets together in the night sky with the naked eye, provided it’s not cloudy.
However, you will get the best view on Wednesday, March 1, when Jupiter and Venus will be closest to each other.
At around 6.45 pm tomorrow, the planets will appear to come together as one.
Jupiter is expected to shine twice as bright as the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, while Venus will outshine Jupiter by six times.
After tomorrow’s conjunctions, the two planets will then begin to go their separate ways again but will continue to appear in the same part of the sky until around March 10.
Unlike the green comet which could be spotted earlier this month, a planetary conjunction is not that rare, with Venus and Jupiter aligning with each other every 13 months or so.
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