Anybody casually glancing up at the western sky shortly after sunset at the moment cannot fail to spot one of nature’s great and humbling sights, the conjunction of two bright planets. We are fortunate this month that the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, are very close together (within five degrees) from now until 17 March, with closest approach between Monday 12th and Wednesday 14th, when they are about three degrees apart.

Jupiter by any standards is bright, although it has been steadily fading from mag. -2.9 at last October’s opposition to its current value of -2.1. But it’s still bright, and only Mars at its best can rival it. But up against the dazzling brilliance of Venus (mag. -4.2) it struggles to compete. In fact, Venus is seven times as bright. Venus is permanently shrouded in a thick, noxious atmosphere that does a great job of reflecting most of the sunlight (50 times more than Jupiter receives) that falls on it back into space. Venus has the highest albedo (measure of the reflectivity of an object) of any planet; Jupiter is not too shabby in this respect, coming a close second. Add to that the fact that Venus is much closer to the Sun and us and it’s clear why it appears so bright.

Venus sets around 10.30pm at mid-month – that’s almost four and a half hours after the Sun, and it’s possible to view both planets in an astronomically dark sky (astronomical twilight ends around 8pm in London) while they are at a decent altitude, just above the crucial 20-degree mark. This is when Venus is almost unbelievably bright – just a few nights ago the sight took my breath away!

If you own a pair of big binoculars (15 x 70s), then you will be able to see both planets in the same field of view and showing perceptible discs. Jupiter is almost twice as large as Venus and attended by its four bright Galilean satellites. Through a small telescope Venus shows close to a half-phase illuminated by 58 percent and spanning 20 arcseconds around mid-month. Venus will continue to brighten slightly as the month progresses, growing in apparent diameter as its phase decreases.

Venus’ steady eastwards motion through Pisces and now Aries has been taking it closer to the gas giant this month and this motion, together with Jupiter’s steady decline towards the horizon, will take it rapidly away. By the end of March the gap will have widened to almost 15 degrees. So if we are blessed with clear skies, make the most of this spectacular observing and imaging opportunity.

This special publication features the photography of British astro-imager Nik Szymanek and covers a range of photographic methods from basic to advanced. Beautiful pictures of the night sky can be obtained with a simple camera and tripod before tackling more difficult projects, such as guided astrophotography through the telescope and CCD imaging.
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Hubble Reborn
Hubble Reborn takes the reader on a journey through the Universe with spectacular full-colour pictures of galaxies, nebulae, planets and stars as seen through Hubble's eyes, along the way telling the dramatic story of the space telescope, including interviews with key scientists and astronauts.
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The Planets
From tiny Mercury to distant Neptune and Pluto, The Planets profiles each of the Solar System's members in depth, featuring the latest imagery from space missions. The tallest mountains, the deepest canyons, the strongest winds, raging atmospheric storms, terrain studded with craters and vast worlds of ice are just some of the sights you'll see on this 100-page tour of the planets.
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3D Universe
Witness the most awesome sights of the Universe as they were meant to be seen in this 100-page extravaganza of planets, galaxies and star-scapes, all in 3D!
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This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.
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