Jupiter-Venus conjunction to be visible at night this week

AMMAN — For five nights in a row starting Wednesday, the two brightest planets — Jupiter and Venus — will be very close to each other in the evening sky, Chief Islamic Justice Department Astronomer Imad Mujahed said Sunday.

The planets will be visible at twilight in the western sky, he added, explaining that the phenomenon is known as conjunction, where Jupiter and Venus will appear so close together that they will look like a double star in the evening sky. 

“Conjunction happens almost every year. But what is special about it this time is that the two planets will be close to each other. This short distance between them only took place more than 1,000 years ago,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

The two planets will be visible at around 5:24pm and until 7:53pm for about five days, Mujahed said.”This is a very interesting phenomenon and people will enjoy the view as the two planets will look like a very bright star,” he added. “It will be a great opportunity to take photos.”

Sky & Telescope, the astronomy news website, said this current string of Venus-Jupiter conjunctions closely resembles a similar series between the years 3 BC and 2 BC. 

It has been suggested that their joint appearance might have been what came to be known as the Star of Bethlehem.

Conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects appear extremely close together in the night sky, NASA said, according to Sky & Telescope.

Venus, the second planet in the solar system, is 56 million miles from Earth, and Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, is 10 times farther out, at just over 550 million miles.