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February 2023 is a unbelievable time to simply view two of the distinctive planets in our photo voltaic system. Each the fuel big Jupiter and our scorching sister planet, Venus, are good within the night time sky this month. Even in areas with horrible mild air pollution, like New York Metropolis, these planetary diamonds shine brilliant.

“All month lengthy, you will discover the 2 brightest planets within the sky, Jupiter and Venus, seem nearer collectively every night,” writes NASA(Opens in a brand new tab).

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How you can see Jupiter and Venus

It is extraordinarily straightforward. And you do not want any gear.

“Discover them within the west within the hour or so after sunset,” NASA explains.

You will see Jupiter above, and Venus — which is the third brightest celestial object within the night time sky (behind the solar and moon) — beneath. As February progresses, the planets are shifting nearer collectively within the sky.

A NASA graphic displaying the place to see Venus and Jupiter within the night time sky on Feb. 22.
Credit score: NASA / JPL-Caltech

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In fact, these vivid planets aren’t the one intriguing objects to see in February. For instance, with the assistance of binoculars, you possibly can spot two clusters of stars.

“All month lengthy, observers with entry to a very good pair of binoculars or a small telescope can hunt for 2 straightforward star clusters utilizing the brightest star within the sky as a guidepost,” NASA explains. “They’re two open star clusters, M41 and M47. They’re referred to as ‘open’ as a result of their stars are shut collectively in house, however in type of a diffuse construction.” The guidepost is Sirius, which is straightforward to seek out within the south skies throughout winter. M41 is simply south of Sirius. If you happen to’re up for the star cluster hunt, the house company has extra particulars on its sky-viewing webpage(Opens in a brand new tab).

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And, allow us to not neglect our deeply cratered pure satellite tv for pc, the moon. By Feb. 27, it can have reached its first quarter. However look ahead to this lunar sighting: Additionally on Feb. 27, within the southwest after sundown, Mars will make a detailed look close to the moon. They will be beneath a level aside, NASA famous.

Wild planets in our cosmic yard

It is a deal with to have the ability to view close by celestial objects with our bare eye as daylight displays off them. The 2 planets in view now, Venus and Jupiter, are wildly completely different worlds:

Venus: Venus is a rocky planet that is about the identical dimension of Earth. It is also the closest planet to us. However on the bottom, its environs are hotter than a pizza oven, at some 900 levels Fahrenheit(Opens in a brand new tab). The planet’s thick layers of greenhouse gases, just like the potent carbon dioxide, lure copious quantities of warmth. Its higher ambiance, nonetheless, hosts extra average, cheap climes.

Jupiter: Jupiter is a fuel big planet, containing over twice the mass of all different planets in our photo voltaic system mixed. Thick clouds and storms (largely of hydrogen and helium) swirl across the floor, together with the Nice Crimson Spot, which NASA notes has “raged for over a century.”(Opens in a brand new tab) Jupiter accommodates a whopping 92 identified moons(Opens in a brand new tab), together with the fascinating world Europa, which harbors an icy ocean beneath its cracked shell.