NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Frank Reed
Date: 2023 Mar 1, 07:51 -0800
Venus and Jupiter meet today. Midnight Eastern US time, which is actually tomorrow by Greenwich date, is the time of closest approach (one definition of conjunction) between Jupiter and Venus. During the day today and tomorrow, if skies are reasonably clear, you should be able to see Venus in daylight at least in binoculars, and with Jupiter less than 40' away, you might see that larger, but considerably fainter planet, too.
Meridian passage occurs shortly after 2:00pm LMT (local mean time). At that time Venus will be due South for observers in most of the northern hemisphere at an altitude equal to the planet's Dec, which is 4° today, plus the observer's co-latitude (90°-latitude). I suggest finding a building with north-south alignment. Stand where you can look along the east-facing wall so that the Sun is blocked by the building. Aim to the right altitude, and then scan up and down along the building wall. Venus should "jump out", and once you have it in binoculars you may even be able to see it direct, "naked eye", without optical aid. Once you find Venus, Jupiter will be very close, two-thirds of a degree to its left and noticeably fainter (binoculars or a telescope required). If you have a backyard telescope, you may even be able to see the cloud belts of Jupiter in daylight.
Frank Reed
