Gopal Chitrakar/Reuters
Star gazers look at the crescent moon below Jupiter (top star) and Venus in Kathmandu, Nepal. The lower picture shows a close up of the formation.
Venus, and Jupiter, and the moon, oh my!
By Peter N. Spotts | 11.30.08
With only slight apologies to Dorothy, Toto, and their three amigos, people in North and South America have an opportunity to enjoy a visual feast over the next two evenings.
For people in the US, look west around sunset, clouds willing. Jupiter, Venus, and a sliver of a crescent moon will form a spectacular, tight triangle in the early evening sky, near the horizon. On Dec. 1 they will be so tightly packed that you’ll be able to cover them with your thumb at arms length.
Our solar system is nothing if not thoughtful. It put on a similar show for “morning people” around dawn last February. Now, it’s giving folks who aren’t morning people a chance to catch the view. And if you’re in right spot in Western Europe, you’ll get more than this function at the conjunction. The moon will actually cover Venus for a while — an occultation.
Of the three participants, Venus is the most impressive. Although it’s 93 million miles from Earth about now, it shines with a brilliance people have mistaken for UFOs or landing lights from a incoming airliner. But the moon is no slouch, either.
View the moon with a slightly averted glance and you’re likely to pick up the dull but noticeable glow of Earth light reflecting off the darkened lunar surface. As for Jupiter’s brightness? Cut it some slack. Despite its enormous size, it’s currently about 472 million miles away.
If you’re looking for something musical to accompany the view, we suggest a bit of Gustav Holz’s “The Planets.” And as you watch, consider that humans are virtual visitors to two of the objects. And a new mission is planned to the third.
Currently, Japan, China, and India have robotic spacecraft orbiting the moon. The US will join them next year with its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The European Space Agency’s Venus Express is orbiting the second rock from the sun, yielding new insights into a cloud-shrouded world with surface temperatures so high they can melt lead.
And on Nov. 24, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced it was taking a significant step toward a new mission to Jupiter. Mission designers say they expect to launch the orbiter, dubbed Juno (Jupiter’s wife), in 2011. The craft should reach the planet by 2016 and orbit the giant gas ball for a year.
If all goes well, it will be the first such craft to operate at such a long distance from the sun on solar power alone. If you’re into barnstorming, Juno will dip to within 3,000 miles of the giant’s cloud-tops as it gathers data. What a view of the Great Red Spot that would yield!
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3. Serge Nedeltscheff | 11.30.08
Love your story, but “The Planets” was composed by Gustav Holst, nit Holz.
Regards,
Serge
5. Rusty Ferguson | 12.01.08
More, More… Please tell us more about how I can see it from the Philippines. There’s very little information about this kind of thing here. My GF has never seen the big dipper. Maybe some people can point me to a place where I can get more information from my place in the world.
I sure would love to see this.
6. Thanganila Thivakar | 12.01.08
1.12.08 Tamilnadu,India
Here we could see the smiling face looking down at us benignly at us.Lovely.Love watching the skies .How does one gets information regarding planetary alignment? -Thanganila Thivakar
8. K C | 12.01.08
I like that in the illustration Venus is within the darkened outline of the moon.
We had cloud cover here, though I’ve certainly enjoyed the Venus and Jupiter shining in the evening sky 
9. Darrin Babin | 12.01.08
The illustration accompanying this article is technically impossible. If you continue the outline of the moon’s circle, at least one of the planets would be between the Earth and the Moon. 
10. Chef Garz | 12.01.08
here in Philippines, around 6pm - 8pm, the venus and jupiter appear above the sky near the cresent moon, it just look like a Smiley in the sky got some shots here, not that near but it can see clearly 
11. MS KHS | 12.01.08
WE SAW THE MOON AND PLANETS LAST NIGHT WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THANKS FOR ADDING THIS INFO FOR THOSE OF US THAT WAS NOT AWARE WHAT WAS GOING ON. I literally panicked for a moment.
14. Keshuvko | 12.01.08
The Kathmandu Post and ekantipur.com had published the news story today.
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=168668
15. Thabiso Seobamo | 12.01.08
It a was wonderful site and its high time we appreciate nature. That was a wonderful view here in Gaborone,Botswana, Africa
16. Barax - Namibia | 12.01.08
WE WERE INFORMED BY OUR SPIRITUAL PARENTS TO WATCH THE SKY. WE SAW THE MOON AND ATLEAST 2 PLANETS PASSING ITS OTHER. AS ONE OF THE SCIENCE STUDENTS, I NEEDED TO KNOW WHAT THE EVENT IS CALLED; THANKS TO YOU AND OTHERS, I WAS ABLE TO TELL MY KIDS AND WIFE THAT IT WAS AND ARE CALLED - OCCULTATION. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR ADDING THIS INFORMATION FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE CURIOS FOR SUCH SCIENTIFIC EVENTS…. THANKS TO YOU ALSO…DAVID MOORE - see post.. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1201/1227910422698.html
17. FZ | 12.01.08
Saw the “smiley face” from Karachi/Pakistan earlier tonite at sunset… breath-taking!!
18. David | 12.01.08
WOW that is sooo cool! I just saw it and it is awesome! : ) We see it like this: : ( Too bad for us :(.
22. asia | 12.01.08
it was so awsome to see that venus and jupiter was right ther i fill like crying!!
24. Nancy Major | 12.01.08
From South Florida, although tonights vision appears as an “unhappy” face, it made me happy :). The crescent of the Moon turned downward. Still a beautiful site. Nancy from Tamarac Florida
26. Jared | 12.01.08
What a disappointing comment from Shadow: “Millions upon Millions spent for space and for what too look at a dead Moon in our solar system??? What a waste unless someones planning to put nukes on the moon for easy targeting………….. if not we could use some of the money to UNDO what the idiots did in Washington !!!”
Gotta love it when everything has to be made poiltical, rather than appreciation of the fantastic chance we have to see this alignment tonight. I’m glad we somehow manage to find the money to learn more about the universe and allow ourselves to be amazed.
27. Rockwell_ken | 12.01.08
i saw it also here in the phils. it was a smiley facing our house…awesome!
29. paul anderson | 12.01.08
Thanks for the excellent description of the brillant display in the western sky. I saw it last night shortly after the sun went down and thought it was very impressive with the moon not having much to show and wondered what was making such a great display. Your timely article is very helpful in knowing what one is looking at.
30. snehal | 12.01.08
pune, india..
i actually saw it yesterday.. with bear eyes.. it was such a amazing thing..
it was looking like a smily.. but it doesnt last far more time.. as it was cloudy and suddenly rains started …
but it was amazing thing.. and shouldnt be miss by anyone..
31. Happy Anderson | 12.02.08
It’s a beautiful clear night in Arizona. The moon was centered directly above the two planets around 7 p.m. The sight was quite spectaular. Would like to have seen the “smiley face”, as was seen in other parts of the world!
Thanx for the pix.
33. Gate from Chiangmai, Thailand | 12.02.08
I & my family had seen the moon smiling last night. It’s first time and It’s wonderful.. (^_^)
34. molly | 12.02.08
I saw the moon, Jupter and Venus yesterday on a clear blue sky here in Uganda East African, It was spectacular no words can describe it. It was a dream come true.
35. B.W. Oliver | 12.02.08
I am almost age 60 and have always defended the tiny fraction of our country’s massive wealth spent on space technology & missions. The spin-off for all of us has been substantial; from medical procedures to all the electronic devices, with incredible miniaturization, some may easily take for granted.
Don’t forget about the prestige, too. If you want the U.S. to be the leader in space, it takes sacrifice. If, however, you want the U.S. to be the space “dummy” (let the Russians, Japanese, Chinese etc; gain what we wouldn’t know) well, be prepared to find out the ramifications of being the last ones ‘out of the trees’.
37. EBONY MOSES | 12.02.08
It will happen again in 2052.How blessed are we to see such a rare sight millions of miles away.
39. QwkDrw | 12.03.08
Photo of moon and 2 stars, taken from California coast, available here:
GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle
http://givemeamomentblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/moon-and-2-stars.html
Gave you a link in comments.
40. Johnthebrman | 12.03.08
If you want to identify stars, planets etc and watch how they and the moon look though from anywhere on the earth at any time visit the free online planeterium, ‘Neave Planetarium’.
41. kc | 12.04.08
THANKGOD!!! U helped me so much I needed an article about this and you gave it to me!
42. R.Prakash | 12.06.08
My sister and mother shown this amazing scene, moon with two stars on either sides. exacton 01 dec 2008, 6.32 pm and they told this is god’s message,
also i took photos, man may fail but god never fail all his creations doing their work without fail.
PrakashR bangalore
43. Cosmos | 12.07.08
I was able to see this planetary and lunar alignment clearly here in Tamilnadu of India. But I could not get the celestial scene in my cell phone clearly. Thanks for the images shown here.
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1. shadow | 11.30.08
Millions upon Millions spent for space and for what too look at a dead Moon in our solar system??? What a waste unless someones planning to put nukes on the moon for easy targeting………….. if not we could use some of the money to UNDO what the idiots did in Washington !!!