Sky Show in the Western Sky After Sunset

I really love astronomy.  About 25 years ago my sister and I decided we wanted to learn all the constellations in our night sky.  It took us a year as the night sky changes with the seasons but we did it.  We also were able to identify the planets that were bright enough for us to see without the aid of binoculars.

Learning the constellations is fun and free.  You don't need binoculars or a telescope.  All you need are your eyes though a good planisphere and a red filtered flashlight will help.  The flashlight helps you see the planisphere without ruining your night vision.  It takes about 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark skies.

A planisphere is a star chart in the form of two adjustable disks that rotate on a common pivot. It can be adjusted to display the visible stars for any time and date. It is very useful if you are trying to find the constellations.

On Thursday the planets Jupiter and Venus,  which also happen to be the next two brightest objects in the sky after the moon,  will appear very close together in the Western evening sky after sunset.  The relative appearance of 2 objects close together in the sky is called a conjunction.  They will be only 3 degrees apart, or the width of 2 fingers held at arms' length.

It is a beautiful sight to behold. Take the time to enjoy the night sky.  If it is cloudy Jupiter and Venus will still appear fairly close together throughout March.

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