You Can See Venus and Jupiter Side by Side This Weekend
It’s no secret that we can’t get enough Christmas lights during the holiday season. But we also love gazing at the original twinkly lights—those from celestial bodies in the night sky. Lucky for us, Venus and Jupiter, which are the brightest planets in the November sky, will be visible this weekend, and near each other, too.
During the month of November, Venus starts its journey in the sky below Jupiter. As the month progresses, Venus rises upwards as Jupiter sinks downwards. On Sunday, November 24, the two planets will meet for a close conjunction, only 1.4 degrees apart in the evening sky.
According to EarthSky, the two planets will appear in the southwestern sky at dusk and stay near the sunset point on the horizon. Venus, the brighter of the two planets, will be visible about 30 minutes after sunset, and Jupiter will light up the sky about 15 minutes after Venus. As long as the skies are clear, you’ll be able to see the planets with the naked eye. Just make sure that you’re looking southeast, toward the sunset, and that you have an unimpeded view of the horizon. And, of course, get as far away from city lights as possible (yes, that includes the light pollution from Christmas decorations).
After Sunday, the two planets will be fairly close to each other for the rest of the week. But by Friday, they’ll drift a good distance away from each other. If you don’t get a chance to look up at the evening sky and catch the brightest planets next to each other, mark your calendars for December 11, 2020, when Venus and Saturn will make an appearance together.
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