Planetary Conjunction to be Visible Wednesday

A rare planetary conjunction that only happens every few years, Venus and Jupiter are going to be visible side by side on Wednesday evening.

The two planets should be visible next to each other in the night sky around sunset.

“I’d recommend a high up location with a clear line of sight towards the western horizon, maybe some place like Sleeping Bear Dunes if you don’t mind traveling for this unique astronomical event,” said Besser Museum Planetary Coordinator Johnathan Winckowski.

The event will be visible to the naked eye, so no telescope is required. This is the second planetary conjunction in 2023, but it’s rare for planets like Venus and Jupiter to appear so close together.

“All three planets; Earth, Venus, and Jupiter, are kind of lined up at the moment,” said Winckowski. “So, we have our sun over here, and Earth is just kind of starting to move on the other side of the sun, from the perspective of Venus and Jupiter. So as a result, these three planets kind of make a straight line in the solar system.”

Those who want to view this event in northeast Michigan are fortunate, because of the lack of air and light pollution.

“We’re relatively small, and kind of a dense city, so it doesn’t expand for a long ways adding light pollution for many miles outside the city,” said Winckowski.

While the event doesn’t pose a large astronomical significance, being able to experience them every few years is still rewarding.

“It’s rare to see something that just looks like that in the sky, and it’s something that you can hold onto as a memory,” said Winckowski.

The planetary conjunction is supposed to look like a sideways snowman, and should be visible around sunset for a couple hours.