March 4th 2023.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) Soumyadeep Mukherjee snapped this beautiful timelapse over ten days
Stargazers have been seen a heavenly treat over the past week as Venus and Jupiter have grown nearer to each other, producing a dazzling view in the night sky.
Although the conjunction occurs every year, rarely do the two planets look so close – this week they appeared less than one degree apart, although in reality they were still more than 370 million miles away.
The phenomenon happens due to the fact that, although the planets in our solar system are millions of miles apart, they all orbit on a similar plane, giving the effect of coming together as they pass one another. This week’s was particularly spectacular due to the joining of our brightest planet, Venus, and largest planet, Jupiter.
Astrophotographers from all over the world have been out and about capturing amazing images of the conjunction, such as Soumyadeep Mukherjee, located in Dhanbad, India. Over ten days he captured the two planets going across the sky until they ‘kissed’ on Wednesday, March 1, forming the stunning composite above.
‘For the last couple of weeks, Venus and Jupiter have attracted the notice of astrophotographers,’ he states. ‘They were getting near to each other, steadily and surely, and I was fortunate enough to capture their relative movement for the last ten days.
‘I used a Nikon D5600, Sigma 50mm and Benro Rhino tripod all through. The aperture was kept at f/2.8 and ISO was kept 200 for all the images. Shutter speed varied from 1/3 seconds to 1 second, depending on the lighting condition. All the images were taken at a similar time, between 6.10pm and 6.20pm.
‘Another interesting discovery for me was the ever changing hue of the sky after sunset! They do contribute a lot to the final image.’
Regrettably for those who missed it, the next time Venus and Jupiter are this close won’t be until February 7, 2032, but here are a few more remarkable shots of this week’s meeting for now.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk) Soumyadeep Mukherjee captured this beautiful timelapse over the past ten days of Venus and Jupiter appearing close together in the night sky. This happens yearly, although this time it was particularly special as the two planets appeared less than one degree apart, despite being 370 million miles apart in reality. The astrophotographers have been out in force to capture the phenomenon, including Mukherjee who used a Nikon D5600, Sigma 50mm and Benro Rhino tripod to take the stunning composite image of the planets 'kissing'. He also noticed the ever-changing hue of the sky after sunset which added a lot to the final image. However, those who missed it will have to wait until 2032 for the planets to be this close again, but in the meantime they can enjoy these other beautiful shots of this week's meeting.
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
(Image Source: https://metro.co.uk)
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
