The two brightest planets in the solar system put on a stunning display on Monday, November 13, for early morning stargazers, globally.
Jupiter and Venus were both visible just before sunrise in a rare show that delighted thousands who shared pictures of the pair on social media, alerting many others to this spectacular sight.
Jupiter and Venus will pair up in the sky on Monday morning, shining brightly together shortly before sunrise. The planets will be visible for around an hour before the light from the rising sun becomes too bright to spot the planets: https://t.co/dgoMIYzMuC pic.twitter.com/8RdFObJGo1
— AccuWeather (@breakingweather) November 11, 2017
The two planets were just 16 arc minutes apart — that's half the width of a full moon — and were visible for around 90 minutes before sunrise.
According to Astronomy Now, the best time to see the two planets was "civil twilight," which is when the sun is six degrees below the horizon, which occurred just before 7am GMT.
With clear skies predicted across much of Britain at the start of the day, the perfect visibility allowed large numbers to witness this impressive sight without the need for any specialist equipment.
Although those checking it out with telescopes were able to make out Jupiter's four Galilean moons close by.
Venus and Jupiter put on cosmic event earlier today https://t.co/owAgL0u8Rv pic.twitter.com/RI7Lgbq9Z2
— Space Newz (@Space__Newz) November 13, 2017
Jupiter and Venus are passing each other. What a amazing and beautiful occurrence of the cosmos. #Venus #Jupiter #jupitervenus 🌍 #MondayMotivaton #Cosmos pic.twitter.com/jSWGxJ2q27
— Benonwine (@benonwine) November 13, 2017
JUPITER AND VENUS
— Comet 67P (@IamComet67P) November 13, 2017
I managed to catch a
glimpse of Jupiter and
Venus this morning ⚪✨⚪
Thought I'd SHARE it with you pic.twitter.com/HkGmfd2MR9
hubby's photos of Venus & Jupiter this morning pic.twitter.com/ueA39gxZGC
— Marie Robertson (@malourob) November 13, 2017
Out very early to watch Jupiter and Venus rising, followed by the sun rising #brighton @BrightonMarina Have a great week! pic.twitter.com/VYQo6iyATT
— Sarah Carroll (@iamsarahcarroll) November 13, 2017
NASA experts predicted that the two planets were so close together, it was almost as if they appeared virtually on top of each other.
The unusual sight faded very quickly, however, disappearing shortly after 7.30am as the sun rose.
