| On this Friday evening after Candlemas or Ground Hog Day, we finally got a break from our cloudy weather to see how much closer Venus and Jupiter have gotten since the end of January. On this evening, we see both Venus and Jupiter still considerably south of the ecliptic, with Venus being magnitude -3.94 and Jupiter clocking in at magnitude -2.22, and a separation of 26° 49' 23" at the time of the picture. Neptune is also in the frame, but it's too faint to see in this twilight and moonlit scene. The outermost planet is located almost exactly half-way between Jupiter and Venus. |