Posted by Davin Flateau on 1 Sep 2005 at 2:46 pm.
Filed under Astronomy.
In the best pairing of two planets since 2002, the spectacular duo of Jupiter and Venus are on display in the western evening skies of Kansas on September 1, grabbing attention shortly after sunset during this week. Dramatic simulation of the conjunction is shown in the current version of the Stars Over Kansas CyberDome planetarium show at Exploration Place. Also check the starsoverkansas.com website for viewing details.
The two planets are at their closest, about two moon-width’s apart, in a combination astronomers call a conjunction. “Watch as the sky darkens, turns from orange through aqua blue to deep blue, and the pair of brilliant planets sparkle like a pair of jewels” comments Martin Ratcliffe - Director of Theaters at Exploration Place and a contributing editor of Astronomy magazine. The planets set before 9:30 p.m. Venus is the brighter of the pair. The best time to view them is between
A conjunction is a line-of-sight effect. In reality the two planets are far part. Venus lies 106 million miles from Earth, whereas Jupiter is an enormous 575 million miles away. The distance of the two planets from Earth is quite dramatic even though they appear to be close together in our sky.
On Tuesday, September 6 watch again when the crescent Moon joins the brilliant pair of planets offering a very a attractive view.
The last evening conjunction between Jupiter and Venus was in June 2002. The next conjunctions between these two planets occur in the evening of December 2008 and March 2012.
Stars over Kansas show times: are Thurs, Fri 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Saturday 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Sunday/Monday 3 p.m.
