A Beautiful Evening Pairing of the Moon and Venus

The young crescent Moon will be paired up with the brilliant evening "star" Venus on Monday evening, creating a stunning visual in the sunset sky. The monthly cycle of the Moon always brings beautiful patterns as the daily travel of the Moon along the ecliptic brings it near to other objects. But when the Moon is paired with Venus, the next-brightest object in the sky, the view is riveting, especially when we have clear skies and a view to the west. I saw a similar pairing last month while traveling in Southern California, a magnificent Moon-Venus pairing in the glow of sunset to the west while out walking in the warm November air. This time, I'll be watching from the cool coast of San Francisco, but the view should be no less impressive. If skies permit, look west and enjoy this spectacle, all the more impressive if you view through binoculars or a telescope.

As the Moon passes through the Zodiac constellation Capricorn, it will also pass near Neptune on the 27th, then onward along the ecliptic into Aquarius and near Uranus on the 29th, heading toward a fly-by of Jupiter in Aries on January 1st. You'll need a telescope to see Neptune and Uranus, but not Jupiter, the other dominant object in our night sky right now.

Image courtesy Sky & Telescope Magazine.

Jupiter and Neptune Triple Conjunction: The Finale

For much of 2009 Jupiter and Neptune have been sharing the same space in the sky inside the Zodiac constellation Capricornus. Over the last few months they have moved progressively closer to each other and are now aligned in what is called a "Conjunction." In fact, the year 2009 saw this happen three times in a row, what astronomers call a Triple Conjunction, a rare and beautiful alignment of heavenly bodies.

I had not seen Neptune before this year's Triple Conjunction. A conjunction creates an opportunity to easily locate the less-bright planets Neptune and Uranus. These two are just dim enough to be invisible unless you (a) know exactly where to look, and (b) use optical aid such as a telescope or binoculars. With bright Jupiter as my guide, I was easily able to find Neptune lurking in the neighborhood, a beautiful blue pinpoint of light (see my previous post on the subject, Blue Neptune). The third of the three conjunctions of Jupiter and Neptune is even easier to find this week because the waxing Moon passes just above the duo on the evenings of December 20 and 21. In fact, the Moon makes a splendid guide to the planets each month, having just passed near Mercury a few days ago, and later in the month approaching orange-red Mars and yellow-white Saturn.

For a more detailed view of the paths of Jupiter and Neptune across the night sky check the diagrams on Martin Powell's excellent astronomy website. With these detailed charts, you can get a clear perspective on how these objects slowly make their way from one Zodiac constellation to the next every year. As Jupiter now begins prograde motion away from Capricornus, it will speed across Aquarius and into Pisces during the winter and by spring will be closing in on Uranus, where in 2010 we will have a Triple Conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus. Scroll down this page to see an excellent animation showing the motion of Uranus and Jupiter across the sky in 2010. The heavens never cease to offer up opportunities for discovery. Here's to clear skies!

Jupiter and the Moon dominate the sky

For the next few evenings Jupiter and the Moon put on a show as they brighten up the southern sky. Jupiter is in Capricornus moving gradually eastward across the constellation. The Moon, just past first quarter phase, is also speeding across Capricornus and will appear very near to Jupiter on Monday evening October 26th.

Jupiter will remain a brilliant light high in the southern sky for the remainder of 2009. I enjoy the close-up view of the planet through a telescope or binoculars because you can see the four Galilean satellites, moons that are big enough to see with just 10 or 20x magnification, moons that move so quickly that you can detect the change of position of the four Galilean moons with respect to each other in just one evening of watching.