The Moon Rejoins Jupiter and Venus

In late February, the Moon, Jupiter and Venus had a nice gathering in the western sky after sunset. At that point Jupiter was above Venus. A month later, the three are together again. This time, however, Jupiter and Venus have swapped places with Venus being higher in the sky.

So, here are tonight’s pics. First, Kitt Peak in the distance shortly after sunset.

Next, a wide shot of the planets. Venus is at the top, Jupiter below it and the crescent Moon at the bottom.

Next, a closeup of that crescent Moon with Earthshine.

One more shot of the planets, slightly narrower field of view.

The next couple of nights will be great times to watch the sky. Sunday night, the Moon will be near Jupiter, Monday night the Moon will be near Venus and Tuesday above them (later in the week the Moon moves progressively farther from the planets each night).

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