Feb. 28th, 2023. Two bright planets approach each other in the evening sky: Venus and Jupiter are on their way to their closest approach of the year. Such a configuration occurs roughly every 13 months. The minimum angular separation will reach about the size of the diameter of the full Moon on March, 2nd. Venus has an apparent magnitude of ~ -4 mag while Jupiter has an apparent magnitude of ~ -2 mag. This means that both are visible to the naked eye and that Venus appears much brighter than Jupiter. Aligned with Jupiter’s equator, you may also distinguish its four moons. March 02, 2023. The two planets switched relative positions in the evening sky. Conjunction has passed! Both photos were taken with a Nikon D5 and 500 mm/f5.6 lens.
