Two bright points of light can be seen for days, remarkably close to each other: “Really worthy of attention” | Instagram

On these clear nights, you can notice two other bright spots in the sky in addition to the moon. If you look to the west, you can see the bright lights diagonally on top of each other. It concerns the planets Venus and Jupiter, which will approach each other in the coming days. “There are often nice things to see in space, but a phenomenon like this is definitely worth paying attention to.”

The brighter of the two is Venus, the other being Jupiter. The planets are the two brightest objects in the sky, next to the sun and the moon. In the coming days, the two planets will creep toward each other as seen from Earth. On Wednesday, March 1, they are closer to each other, but not on the same page. Then they move away from each other.

It may appear that the two will clash in the coming days, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the planets are about 700 million kilometers apart.

This phenomenon is especially evident at the beginning of the evening. This is due to the Earth’s rotation and the movement of the two planets themselves, explains science journalist Jovert Schilling. “They make the same motion that the sun makes during the day. Just as you see the sun set, you also see the planets set. A little later in the evening, you can only see them lower on the horizon in a meadow.”


This phenomenon was announced weeks ago, and Schilling sees it getting more beautiful every day. “Three weeks ago, Venus was also visible, but Jupiter was still far away from it. But next Wednesday they will come close together, which is amazing. It’s not surprising that you see new things, but it’s a very beautiful sight.”

It often happens that the planets are close together as seen from Earth, but not always at the same time of year. Jupiter appears once every eleven months. Since there are many clouds, it is not always easy to see them.

More clouds after Wednesday

This week, the phenomenon can be seen from the Netherlands very well due to the clear nights. There is a good chance that this will remain the case for the next few days. Anyway, Wednesday will be very clear and sunny during the day according to Weerplaza. There will be some clouds in the evening, but there is a good chance that the planets will be clearly visible in the early evening. Enjoy it especially that evening, because after Wednesday there will be a lot of clouds.

Last year, they were seen close to each other at the end of April. The next time they appear to be roughly aligned again will be in the year 2039.


At the top left, only the moon is visible.
At the top left, only the moon is visible. © jv

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