Look for Venus alongside Jupiter tonight

Look to the western sky this evening for a rare sight. Jupiter and Venus will be separated by about half a degree.

Your pinky on your outstretched arm measures about a degree. Try fitting it between the planets.

Venus and Jupiter were last seen this close in pre-dawn skies on May 1, 2022. We wont see it again until Feb 7, 2032.  We’ll next see a pair of planets within a half degree on August 15, 2024.

Notice how much brighter Venus (on the right) is than Jupiter (on the right), about two magnitudes brighter. This is because, while both are covered in very reflective clouds, and Jupiter is nearly 12 times bigger than Venus, Jupiter is another 410 million miles further away.

Look again over the coming days as Venus rises higher in the sky while Jupiter will move closer to the horizon. By mid March Jupiter will disappear below the horizon while Venus will continue rise high each evening until it begins its journey back toward the horizon in May.