Venus-Jupiter conjunction 2023: Bright planets to make trifecta with Moon tonight; check when, where, how to spot

On March 1 and 2, astronomers will be able to observe a spectacular conjunction of Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter and Venus, two bright planets in the sky, have been getting closer over the past several weeks, forming a beautiful trio with the moon. The spectacular cosmic event will occur on March 1 and 2 after sunset. It only occurs every 13 months. People worldwide have been waiting excitedly to see the celestial phenomenon in the night sky.

Brian Lada, a meteorologist for AccuWeather, refers to the Jupiter-Venus conjunction as the "spring star." As long as the sky is clear, Jupiter and Venus should be visible to the naked eye from practically anyplace on Earth. In fact, behind the sun and moon, Venus is the third brightest star in the sky. Jupiter is the fourth-brightest star, therefore the conjunction will be visually stunning.

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When and how can you see Venus and Jupiter?

According to the Adler Planetarium, Jupiter and Venus will appear about half a degree apart near the horizon, an hour or so after sunset. This is equivalent to the width of a full moon, or roughly one-quarter the width of your thumb held out at arm's length.

In other words, they are so close to one another that it might be difficult to tell them apart. But if you pay great attention, you'll notice that Venus is to the right and appears to be a little brighter than Jupiter. It is simpler to observe Venus than other planets because it is located near to Earth in the solar system's hierarchy. Jupiter, meanwhile, is bright because despite being much farther away from Earth, it is the largest planet in our solar system.

On Thursday, the planets will still be just one degree apart the second night. On March 2, 2023, the cosmic event will take place at 5 am CST (5 pm IST). Venus and Jupiter will align at conjunction at a distance of only 0.5 degrees, or the width of a full moon, HT Tech reported.