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Moon, planets' show continues

Johannes KeplerOkay, so how cool was that? After the clouds blew off last evening, the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the crescent moon in the southwest jumped out against a very dark sky. It was hard to miss. Here's a gallery from CNN iReports.

And the show isn't really over.

The moon's orbit will carry it a bit farther east each night this week after last night's close encounter. Venus will climb even higher as Jupiter sinks toward the sunset. Watch the dancers as they shift their relative positions each night. It's Kepler's celestial mechanics on display, all week long. (That's Johannes Kepler at left.)

Here's more from SpaceWeather.com 

Posted by Frank Roylance on December 2, 2008 11:17 AM |
                    

Comments

Picture perfect out here in Woodstock. Very cool.
K-

Posted by: Kem White | December 2, 2008 1:36 PM

Does anyone know when this particular conjunction last occurred?

FR: There was a very similar event on Feb. 4, 2008, but Jupiter, Venus and the crescent moon were all in the eastern, pre-dawn sky. These evening events are seen by far more people.

Posted by: James Dawson | December 2, 2008 4:25 PM

I was truly amazed by the gorgeous display the heavens revealed to us last night! I'd had a busy day at work and was thrilled to look up into the sky and see such beauty.

thanks to Frank for keeping us informed!

Posted by: Rebecca | December 2, 2008 4:44 PM

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About Frank Roylance
Frank Roylance is a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. He came to Baltimore from New Bedford, Mass. in 1980 to join the old Evening Sun. He moved to the morning Sun when the papers merged in 1992, and has spent most of his time since covering science, including astronomy and the weather. One of The Baltimore Sun's first online Web logs, the Weather Blog debuted in October 2004. In June 2006 Frank also began writing comments on local weather and stargazing for The Baltimore Sun's print Weather Page.
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