Venus and Jupiter in Estes Park

Venus and Jupiter from front porch

If you’ve been out of doors right after sunset and looking towards the Southwest you will see two planets–Venus and Jupiter. Right before Jay and I are going to dinner I took my camera on the front porch and took this shot. It came out surprisingly well. Last week these two planets and the moon were so close together you could cover all three with an extended thumb. Then I googled and found this–check it out:

A similarly close conjunction between Venus and Jupiter occurred in June of 2 B.C., and some scholars have connected the event with the Christian nativity story. According to the Bible, three magi in the East were alerted to the birth of Jesus and led toward Bethlehem by a superbright star—a celestial phenomenon that could be explained by two planets tightly grouped in the sky. Astronomers say this year’s

Bunkhouse under a full moon

planetary convergence is special because it’s occurring at a particularly opportune time of day: in the early evening when nearly everyone worldwide might have a chance to witness it. “The striking appearance of the conjunction will catch the attention of even those unfamiliar with the sky,” Cook said. “We are naturally attracted to close pairings of bright objects, and the presence of the slender crescent moon will only add to the beauty and awe of the event.”

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081201-jupiter-venus_2.html