Jupiter (11 times larger than Earth) and Venus (about the size of Earth) in the night sky Photo: picture alliance/dpa/CTK
By Oliver Ohmann
The evening and night sky over Berlin is currently showing a planetary love story. Venus and Jupiter on a cozy course.
Looking West, just after sunset. You can see two planets, radiantly bright, right next to each other. A rare celestial phenomenon.
The brighter planet is Venus, next to it is Jupiter. Seen from the earth, they are in a line. Astronomers speak of a conjunction. “Jupiter and Venus have come closer and closer in the past few weeks and days,” explains Sven Melchert from the Association of Star Friends.
Planet meeting over Berlin: Venus on the right (much brighter), Jupiter on the left Photo: Irina Prass
“On their orbits around the sun at different speeds, they have come closer and then separated again.” The proximity is only an illusion. In reality, the planets are 700 million kilometers apart.
Jupiter is a gas giant, the largest planet in our solar system. But the evening star Venus appears much larger and brighter. The explanation: Jupiter is much further away from Earth (860 million kilometers) than Venus (200 million kilometers). In addition, Venus has a bright surface, reflecting sunlight like freshly fallen snow.
But Jupiter has something more to offer: interesting companionship. Because with binoculars you can also see four of its moons.
The heavenly love story can be seen until about 9 p.m. under a cloudless sky (then the planets set on the horizon).
Another spectacle in three weeks. On March 23, the crescent moon will be almost halfway between the two planets. In addition, the reddish Mars appears high above Venus and Jupiter in the first half of the night.