Jupiter and Venus

 

Jupiter is on the left and Venus is on the right in this picture, taken by Marek Nikodem of Szubin, Poland, at nightfall on March 12. "They are like two lanterns illuminating the darkness,"

Venus is brilliant tonight, dazzling next to Jupiter. Difficult to explain how watching these two planets in the sky affects me. It has to do with knowledge, Knowing how far apart they are and yet appearing together, with having seen them in telescopes, having seen a transit of Venus across the face of the Sun, of having watched an asteroid break up and fall into the vast atmosphere of Jupiter, of having seen Jupiter in the morning sky this past summer before sunrise over the ocean near a thin crescent moon, of countless observations tied to fine moments in my life, including seeing this same pair high over the Avenue des Champs-Élysées on my first visit to Paris in 1970. These massive planets are real to me, part of my reality, key to my perceptions; and yet, I feel, they transcend my individual consciousness. In short, I am in awe of them, and think of them as god-like, whatever that word may mean... 

Here is a brief excerpt from my 5th journal, which I wrote when I was 22.

       "July 12, 1970:  Before me all at once was the Place de la Concorde, beneath a deep navy sky. Fountains, statues, and music from within the park brought a profound harmony. I sat in this glow, staring over the Seine, which itself was sparkling with lights and boats, toward the Eiffel Tower to the side of which a crescent moon and Jupiter dominated the clear azure. On the other side of the tower, Venus shone. My blood rushed, moved by the coherence of all the light, fountains, river, tower, parks, avenue, people. Others shared my wonder. I saw a threesome, two young men and an attractive girl who brought to mind..."

Jack

Excellent Article:

Venus and Jupiter wrap up months-long celestial dance

Planets come together in a planetary conjunction — but the show isn't quite over yet

Tolga Bermek

Venus and Jupiter shine above the city of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday in this photo snapped by skywatcher Tolga Bermek.

By Mike Wall

After creeping toward each other steadily for the last few months, Venus and Jupiter finally came together in what astronomers call a planetary conjunction Tuesday, putting on a spectacular show for skywatchers around the world.

The two planets lit up the night sky in tandem, appearing so close together that observers could blot them both out with just a few fingers held at arm's length. And they provided a lasting display, blazing bright above the western horizon for hours at mid-northern latitudes.
The celestial action Tuesday peaked when Jupiter and Venus lined up just 3 degrees apart in the night sky. (Your clenched fist held at arm's length measures about 10 degrees).
The show is not over, however. While the two bright planets have now begun moving away from each other in the sky, they'll remain quite close together for the next several days. [ Great Skywatcher Photos of Venus and Jupiter ]

Shawn Malone

Skywatcher Shawn Malone captured this view of Venus and Jupiter from near Eagle Harbor, Mich. In the image, the bright planets are setting over Lake Superior.

Wednesday night, for example, they'll be separated by just 3.1 degrees. By Thursday, the gap between them will have extended to about 3.5 degrees. Somewhat confusingly, Jupiter and Venus also technically come into conjunction on Thursday, when they line up in another set of celestial coordinates (though they will appear farther apart then to observers on the ground than they did Tuesday).
Venus-Jupiter conjunctions are fairly special events, occurring roughly every 13 months. This year's was especially stunning, experts say, because the two planets were visible for so long in the sky and appeared so bright.
Though Jupiter is about 11 times wider than the roughly Earth-size Venus, Venus appears about eight times more luminous these days. That's because Venus is so much closer to us than Jupiter is. On average, Earth orbits 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from the sun, a distance defined as 1 astronomical unit (AU). Venus zips around our star at about 0.72 AU, while Jupiter is found roughly 5.2 AU from the sun.

So while the two planets appear close together in the night sky, in reality they're nowhere near each other. The orbits of Venus and Jupiter are separated by Earth, Mars and the main asteroid belt.
Though Venus has now wrapped up its celestial dance with Jupiter, it will provide another skywatching treat in just a few months. On June 5, Venus will cross the face of the sun from Earth's perspective, appearing as a tiny black dot against the face of our star.
Such Venus transits occur fewer than two times per century, on average. After June 5, the next one will take place in 2117.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46734632/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.T2FCs_W8GSq