Venus, Jupiter shine during night sky ‘kiss’: How to see it

(WTAJ) — Noticed a pair of lights in the sky Wednesday night?

Venus and Jupiter shine during night sky kiss (Courtesy: Joe Wicks)

No, it’s not aliens (or a spy balloon). The answer is actually the planets Venus and Jupiter. The two have been dancing in the night sky for about a week and came to their closest point together on Wednesday, March 1.

While the two planets appeared to “kiss,” our eyes continued to fall for the magical illusions of space. Jupiter and Venus are actually entering a conjunction, NASA Solar System Ambassador Brenda Culbertson told Nexstar’s KSNT.

During a conjunction, two planets – or a planet and the Moon, or a planet and a star – seem to get closer and closer each night, NASA explains. Venus and Jupiter reached their closest point Wednesday night, coming within 0.5° of each other in the western sky.

It’s the closest the two will appear in the sky this year. Depending on the cloud coverage, you could see them Thursday night too, and the rest of the week. You’ll want to look toward the west after the sun sets. As Nexstar’s WFLA explains, you’ll see the pair slowly move toward the horizon before setting around 8:30 p.m.

Jupiter will remain visible in the night sky during most of March as Venus continues to rise higher into the sky throughout April.

Astronomy expert Tony Rice tells Nexstar’s WANE that Venus and Jupiter won’t be this close again until February 2032, but Jupiter will appear to “kiss” Mars in the predawn sky on August 15, 2024.

KSNT’s Matthew Self contributed to this report.