Spectacular Close Encounter: Venus-Jupiter-Moon
Western Evening Sky, 1 December 2008
Soon after sunset on Monday 1 December 2008, the world will be treated to a grand spectacle in the western sky. The brightest planet in the sky, Venus, will have a close encounter with the second brightest planet, Jupiter, as viewed from Earth. The two planets will appear just 2.0° apart at their closest at 9h UT on 1 December.
Joining in on the tight Venus-Jupiter formation will be the young crescent Moon, which together with its Earthshine, will produce a wonderful celestial display that will be visible all around the world. Try not to miss it!
The apparent relative positions of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon will vary somewhat depending upon where people view the event on the Earth. The variations are due to longitude differences (time) and the effect of parallax (latitude) on the apparent position of the Moon. The sky maps below show the relative position of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon as they will appear from a number of locations around the world.
Folk in Australia will get to see a "smiley face" of sorts. Near
Lusaka, Zambia the crescent Moon will bisect the two planets in a truly stunning display. In western parts of Europe
(eg., Rome) Venus will be occulted by the Moon and it reappears about 1 hour later on the Moon's bright limb (eg.,
London).
Best wishes and clear skies!
Locations:
Sydney, Australia
Perth, Australia
Lusaka, Zambia
Cape Town, South Africa
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Locations:
Tokyo, Japan
Beijing, China
New Dehli, India
Moscow, Russia
Baghdad, Iraq
Athens, Greece
Rome, Italy
London, UK
New York, USA
Los Angeles, USA
Honolulu, USA
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Sydney, Australia: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Perth, Australia: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Lusaka, Zambia: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Cape Town, South Africa: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Tokyo, Japan: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Beijing, China: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
New Delhi, India: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Moscow, Russia: 45 minutes after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Baghdad, Iraq: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Athens, Greece: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Rome, Italy: 30 minutes after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
London, UK: 1 hour 30 minutes after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
New York, USA: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Los Angeles, USA: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
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Starry Night Pro 6.2.
Honolulu, USA: 1 hour after sunset, Monday 1 December 2008
Chart generated using
Starry Night Pro 6.2.
