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26 November 2008 Spectacular Night Sky Event Happening Now

The best sky show of the year, a spectacular three-way merging of Venus, Jupiter and the crescent Moon in the night sky is happening now. At the end of the day, when the horizon is turning red, step outside and look southwest. You'll see Venus and Jupiter beaming side-by-side through the twilight. Glittering Venus is absolutely brilliant and above it, giant Jupiter is nearly as bright as Venus. Together, they're dynamite.Each night you’ll be amazed at how much the Venus-Jupiter gap has closed. The two planets are converging, not in the slow motion typical of heavenly phenomena, but in a headlong rush – almost a full degree (two full Moon widths) per night. As the gap shrinks, the beauty increases. In biblical times, a similar but closer pairing occurred and may have been mistaken for the ‘Xmas Star’ by the three wise men seeking the birthplace of baby Jesus.On November 29 the two planets will be so close you'll think to yourself "surely it can't get any better than this." And then it will. On Nov. 30th a slender 10% crescent Moon leaps up from the horizon to join the show. The delicate crescent hovering just below Venus-Jupiter will have cameras clicking around the world.

December 1st is the best night of all. The crescent Moon moves in closer to form a triangle with Venus and Jupiter. The three brightest objects in the night sky will be gathered so tightly together, you can hide them all behind your thumb held at arm's length!The celestial triangle will be visible from all parts of the world, even from light-polluted cities. People in New York and Sydney will see it just as clearly as astronomers watching from remote mountaintops. Only cloudy weather can spoil the show.Although clear with naked eyes a small telescope will make the evening even more enjoyable. In one quick triangular sweep, you can see the moons and cloud-belts of Jupiter, little over half phase of Venus), and craters and mountains on the Moon. It's a Grand Tour you won't forget!

Finally, look up from the eyepiece and run your eyes across the Moon. Do you see a ghostly image of the full Moon inside the bright horns of the crescent? That's called ‘Earthshine’ because sunlight hits Earth and ricochets off to the Moon, lighting the dark lunar surface. By itself, a crescent Moon with Earthshine is one of the loveliest sights in the heavens. Add Venus and Jupiter and, well … it's time to stop reading and go mark your calendar. courtesy of David Reneke