Conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Jupiter

Hello dear friends.

Although I always share chemistry content, you know that I also like to share information about space exploration and some astronomical events, and this Wednesday, February 22, there was a spectacular conjunction between the crescent Moon and the planets Venus and Jupiter, and I wanted to share some of the photos I was able to take.

Moon, Jupiter and Venus conjunction, February 22, 2023. Source: @emiliomoron.

These three objects in the night sky could be seen from early morning, the Moon approached first Venos and then Jupiter, this alignment was visible as soon as the sun set, and could be seen with the naked eye to the west, contrasting the brightness of these two planets against the twilight, unfortunately I could not get home to take pictures from the time of sunset, but I managed to see part of this alignment.

As soon as I got home I checked what I could see in the sky with the Stellarium application installed on my cell phone, a free software program that simulates a planetarium, and then proceeded to look for the camera to try to capture this interesting conjunction. It is said that two celestial objects are in conjunction when, when observed from a third party, in this case the Earth, they are seen at the same celestial longitude, that is, very close in the sky.

Screenshot of the Stellarium application installed on my phone. Source: @emiliomoron.

These two planets are the brightest in the firmament, on the one hand Venus owes its brightness to the dense clouds of its atmosphere, which allow it to reflect a lot of light, on the other hand, Jupiter is very bright because of its large size, and because it is composed of gases it also reflects a lot of light.

The conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs once a year, in 2022 it took place at the end of April, but this year the appearance of the Moon at the meeting of these two planets has made the event more special.

Moon, Jupiter and Venus conjunction, February 22, 2023. Source: @emiliomoron.

Although this spectacle is already taking place, it is between today February 22 and tomorrow February 23 that the distance between Venus and Jupiter will have reduced and the small piece of the Moon will become more visible. So we still have one day left to enjoy this encounter.

Then, as the days progress the distance between Venus and Jupiter will continue to decrease, and near the end of the month it will be just one degree and both planets will look like two very close bright spots, like a double planet system, although of course, remember the great distance between them and this alignment is only from their light that we perceive in the night sky.

The Moon next to Jupiter. Source: @emiliomoron

Let's take the opportunity to enjoy this spectacle, since next year this conjunction will not be visible, as it will occur in a position closer to the Sun due to planetary motion.

I believe that observing the course of the planets and their regular movement through the firmament reminds us how wonderful our solar system is, let's take advantage of these cold nights to admire for a moment the quiet journey of these celestial bodies.

Moon, Jupiter and Venus conjunction, February 22, 2023. Source: @emiliomoron.

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Well friends, I don't have a great camera but I hope you like the pictures of this meeting. See you next time!