Rare Sight! Venus and Jupiter Will Appear to Nearly Touch on Saturday.

[elleng]

This Saturday night, make plans to get a clear view of the western horizon in order to see a celestial event that won't happen again until 2065.

Shortly after sunset, Venus and Jupiter will get so close to one another in the sky that, from some locations, they will appear to almost touch. At their closest approach, the two planets will be separated by less than one-eighth the width of the full moon.

If you plan to watch the event, make sure you have a clear view of the western horizon. The planetary pair will become visible about 30 minutes after sunset, positioned about 5 degrees above the horizon.

http://www.space.com/33848-venus-jupiter-nearly-touch-on-saturday.html?

[jtuck004]

1. Thank you for this.Hopefully it will be clear.

"A clenched fist, held at arm's length, takes up about 10 degrees on the sky."

Handy to know.

[longship]

2. The Sun and the Moon are about 1/2 a degree on the sky.

The Andromeda Galaxy is six times that extent, about three degrees on the sky. It is the farthest away object visible with the unaided eye. Two and a half million light years away! And it's six times the size of the Moon on the sky!

[Binkie The Clown]

3. Ouch! That's going to leave a bruise! n/t