If you had looked up shortly after sunset, you would have noticed two bright objects that resemble stars.
Yet, these are not stars, but the planets Venus and Jupiter.
When Venus and Jupiter appear close together in the sky, this phenomenon is known as the Venus-Jupiter Conjunction.
In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when two celestial objects appear close together as viewed from Earth.
“According to common usage, a conjunction occurs when two or more objects appear close to one another in the night sky. Pete Lawrence, presenter of BBC’s Sky at Night, explained that there are a number of formal definitions of conjunction that describe when objects share the same coordinate values. However, proximity suffices to qualify the term in informal contexts.
He stated that late February is the optimal time to observe the Venus-Jupiter Conjunction.
In late February, it is possible to observe Venus and Jupiter as they appear to approach one another in the sky, according to Lawrence.
Although the two planets appear near to one another in the sky, they are actually 416 million miles away.
Despite this vast separation, the two planets will seem closest to one another on the evening of March 2 when viewed from St Vincent and the Grenadines.
