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,"
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
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 ]
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.
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
