Sir, - Regular skywatchers probably know about it already. Casual skywatchers and others may not. But weather permitting, a skyward glance should be worth a few moments of anybody's time.
I refer to the forthcoming conjunction of Venus and Jupiter tomorrow, February 23rd. On that evening from about 6.30 p.m. (18.30 UT) the planets will be visible very close together in the darkening sky. The direction to look in is somewhat to the left of due west and at an altitude of about fifteen degrees. It will not be very high in the sky, (a clenched fist at arms length subtends an angle of about ten degrees), but away from high buildings or trees it should be possible to obtain a good view.
After the sun and moon, these two planets are the next two apparently brightest objects in the heavens. Jupiter has been dominating the south western evening sky for the last several weeks while Venus has been gradually climbing out of the sunset blaze. Now Venus completely overshadows the Giant Planet, appearing over four times as bright.
On the evenings of 22nd and 24th the planets will be quite close together, about one degree apart. But on the 23rd they are separated by only an eighth of that distance. Good binoculars should show two or more tiny starlike points close to Jupiter. These are some of its many moons. - Yours etc.,
Liam Smyth, Director of Observations, Irish Astronomical Society, P.O. Box 2547,
Dublin 14.