Venus and Jupiter have aligned!

Have you been watching this??  This month, we can see 5 planets in the night sky, but tonight and tomorrow, those two headlights in the Western sky are Venus and Jupiter! 

Venus and Jupiter will be at their closest in mid-March 2012. By March 12 and 13, Venus and Jupiter will lie only three degrees apart. Then they’ll be like twin headlight beams shining down on us from the west after sunset. You’ll be able to hide both mighty worlds together behind two outstretched fingertips.

Here are Venus and Jupiter on March 14, 2012. They'll be at their closest and most spectacular in mid-March.

Don’t miss the moon near Venus and Jupiter in late March, 2012. But the show won’t be over yet. Around March 23, 2012 the young moon will once again return to the evening sky. Especially in the Northern Hemisphere, March is a great month to catch sight of an extremely slender crescent in the day or so after new moon. Start looking for the moon around March 23. Then on March 24 and 25, watch the moon move past Venus and Jupiter again.

Bottom line: Do you see two bright objects in the west after sunset? They are the sky’s two brightest planets – Venus and Jupiter – and you can see them simply by stepping outside and gazing toward the west in the hour after sunset. Venus and Jupiter are fantastic to see in late February 2012 and will be at their peak in mid-March 2012.

Jupiter, above, and Venus, as seen over Highland, California in mid-February 2012. They can be seen from around the world - from cities, suburbs and rural locations. Just look west after sunset! Image via EarthSky Facebook friend Lyle Evans

Moon, Venus, Jupiter Feb. 2012, from Brazil via Miquel Berredo