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Jupiter, Venus and the Moon dance in night sky; five planets come into view
The crescent moon, Jupiter, and Venus shine brightly in the early night sky as their light is reflected off of a still pool at Great Falls National Park Sunday evening. ( Navin Sarma photography , @navinsarmaphoto) For the last two nights, Venus, Jupiter and the Moon have put on an amazing show. Positioned close together, they have shined brilliantly, forming an unmistakable triangle in the night sky, visible even amidst city light pollution. The trio will glow prominently yet again tonight.
Even after the moon exits the view, Jupiter and Venus will remain prominent in the night sky in the coming days, getting closer and closer together. They are currently about 10 degrees apart. NASA explains:
In March, Venus and Jupiter continue their relentless convergence until, on March 12th and 13th, the duo lie only three degrees apart—a spectacular double beacon in the sunset sky (sky map). Now you’ll be able to hide them together behind a pair of outstretched fingertips.
Meanwhile, EarthSky reports Mercury, Mars and Saturn are now viewable at night as well. It writes:
…as Venus and Jupiter continue to pull closer, you’ll also be able to see three other planets in the evening sky – Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Mercury will be at its best around March 4. Mars, in particular, will be extremely spectacular to see – because Earth will fly between Mars and the sun on March 3, 2012. So Mars will be at its closest and brightest for this two-year period in early March!
As it turns out, all five of these planets may be viewable tonight, EarthSky says. It recommends trying to spot Mercury about 40 to 60 minutes after sunset near the western horizon whereas Mars should become viewable on the opposite horizon. Saturn should come into view in the east as Jupiter is setting to the west between 10 and 11 p.m.
{click on the URL for the rest of the stories - can you imagine … 5 PLANETS visible?? So cool. Anybody with insight into what this means astrologically, please share! I’d love to know. Seems to be a positive time at least for me!]
