Gettin' Together

The planets Jupiter and Venus were on a celestial rendezvous during the final evenings of February and those of early March, 2023. The close proximity to one another is known as a "conjunction." The planets glittered in the western sky after sunset. Jupiter is above Venus in this view from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 6:39 pm CST on Saturday, February 25. Jupiter shone at magnitude -2.09, and Venus at -3.96. Image is a 3 second exposure at f/5, ISO 160, 35mm focal length.

Same view and location the following evening (February 26). Jupiter and Venus have inched closer in this capture at 6:37 pm. Contrails stretch across the sky. 2 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 160 and 34mm focal length. The sky clouded up a short time later, and remained that way until the evening of March 1.

6:27 pm CST, Wednesday, March 1. Looking west from Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids. The planets are side-by-side and within one degree of each other, with Jupiter at the left. Jupiter shone at magnitude -2.08, Venus at -3.97. Image is a 1/4 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 160, 26mm focal length. Note the line of clouds at lower right.

Pictured here are the line of clouds approaching from the northwest. In about 15-20 minutes this cloud cover would arrive and obscure any further viewing for the evening.

6:38 pm CST, Thursday, March 2. Back to original location at Bowman Woods Park, and on a spectacularly clear evening. Now Venus occupied the upper position in the conjunction. Jupiter shone at magnitude -2.08, Venus at -3.97. Air temperature was 33 degrees F. Although Jupiter and Venus appeared very close to each other in our skies, the planets were in reality 6 billion miles apart. 0.5 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 320, 34mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.