Illustrative photo – Planet Venus (pictured by Japan National Space Agency from May 2016).
Prague – Today and Thursday, people can observe a close encounter between Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky. The two brightest planets will appear to be separated by a distance of half an angular degree, which roughly corresponds to the size of the full moon, the Physics Institute in Opava said in a press release. Because of this, the Štefánik Observatory in Prague and the Ďáblice Observatory in Prague will exceptionally extend their opening hours between 18:00 and 19:00.
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According to the constitution, the so-called conjunction of the planets will be visible over the western horizon at dusk, and those interested should watch this phenomenon ideally from a high place. A conjunction, i.e. a close meeting of objects in the sky, in this case the planets, occurs at the moment when the objects approach each other from the position of the observer. According to the Prague Planetarium, people can see the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter roughly once or twice a year.
The Institute of Physics clarified that those interested in visiting Prague observatories will recognize Venus as a bright oval in binoculars. On the contrary, according to the constitution, they will see Jupiter and its moons in the form of a weaker disk surrounded by a string of three to four “stars”.
As early as Wednesday, February 22, people could observe the triple conjunction of these planets with the Moon. In the past, people attached great importance to the close encounter of planets. The most famous example is the rare triple conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn from the year seven BC, which is sometimes associated with the Star of Bethlehem.
