This week isn't just the beginning of Meteorological spring -- it's also when perhaps "the most photogenic planetary paring of the year occurs," the Adler Planetarium says.
According to the planetarium, the first part of the celestial event occurred just after sunset Wednesday. But in case you missed it, you're going to want to look up into the sky Thursday evening to catch what the planetarium is referring to as a "Venus-Jupiter Conjunction."
"A conjunction occurs when two astronomical objects (planets, asteroids, moons, etc) appear close together from our perspective on Earth," the planetarium tweeted. "While these celestial bodies may look close together, remember, they’re actually millions of miles away from each other in space."
The planetarium goes on to describe the conjunction as a time when Venus and Jupiter -- the two brightest planets as seen from Earth -- will "'appear less than one degree apart, low in the west-southwest sky."
That measures out to "about one-half your thumb's width stretched out at arms length," the planetarium says.
An infographic from the planetarium depicts the two bright planets close together, almost appearing as two white eyes underneath a round pair of glasses.
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"Venus will be slightly higher in the night sky than Jupiter," on Thursday, the planetarium says.
Wednesday evening, the planets were even closer together, the planetarium adds.
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"The two move further apart each evening—Venus will move higher and Jupiter will drop closer to the Sun. Both planets will also appear to creep slightly west as the month passes," the planetarium says.
So, when exactly should you "look up" to catch one of the best planetary photo opportunities of the year? Thursday evening, the planetarium says. Here's a closer look at part one of the celestial event, which occurred Wednesday.
