Smiley Face Conjunction - Monday 1st December

[iceman (Mike)]

Make sure you head outside over the next week and look to the West after sunset - you’ll see the brilliant Venus and Jupiter closing in on each other until they are at their closest on the evening of the 1st December, 2008.

What makes this conjunction even more special, is that the pairing is also joined by the thin crescent Moon - giving us our very own smiley face in the sky! Check the attachment below to see what I mean.

The view below is what you’ll see from mid-latitudes in Australia at around 8pm AEDST on the 1st December. Your view might be slightly different depending on where in Australia you live, and it might even be upside down if you live elsewhere on Earth.

Venus and Jupiter will be a close 2° apart, and the Moon will be about 3.5° away from both of the bright planets.

But don’t wait until the 1st December, just in-case it’s cloudy on that day! The couple of days before and after the 1st December still show a lovely conjunction of the planets but the Moon will be further away. The video here shows an animation of the motion from a few days before to a few days after the 1st December.

I just love conjunctions like this and love photographing them. Now I need to find a nice spot to set up and take some photos. Here’s hoping for clear skies!

Make sure you get out and take a look or a photo or two as well. I'd love to see your results posted in the Solar System Images forum on IceInSpace.

Good luck!

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

You beat me to posting a reminder about this...How cool is that alignment!

[cookie8 (Vincent)]

Hi Scott & Mike
Absolutely won't miss out on this one. Hope I will have something to post.

[OneOfOne (Trevor)]

I hope the clouds clear up, the ASV will be at the Solar System Model in St Kilda for a public viewing.

[Ric]

I'll be looking to capture a few images of this one, it looks a beauty.

[RB (Andrew)]

I wonder if Jen will have a go at this smiley.

[spacezebra (Petra)]

Good one RB!



Cheers Petra

[leon]

Now that will be something worth waiting for.

Leon

[h0ughy (David)]

now the long range forecast for the hunter is to be clear on the monday - i hope that proves to be true

[matt]

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's shots.

Mike - it might be a nice idea to set up a new thread to act as a gallery for everyone's images, so they can be all collected in the one thread?

Or they can just post images into this thread.

[matt]

Well...that was pretty exciting.

I just popped popped outside with the 10x50 'nokkies' and had a quick squizz at the crescent moon...and there below it...about 5 degrees away to the east, is Venus. Bright and clear.

I've never actually seen venus during broad daylight, optically aided or not.

But it's easy to see at the moment given its proximity to the moon.

Haven't been able to pick up Jupiter yet, though.

[matt]

And there's Jupiter.!!!!! Visible at 11.10am...

[iceman (Mike)]

hmm Sydney-siders might be ok after all - the skies are clearing.. hope it continues that way!

[mozzie (Peter)]

hi all layed down on the back pavers spotted the moon then low and behold there's venus adjusted my focus and got jupiter im stokedto see all 3 in day light that excited heading back out the wife and kids will be home soon cant wait to show them

[mbaddah (Mo)]

CLOUDS!!!!!!!!!!!! Is there anywhere in Sydney thats clear maybe I can drive now and quickly catch a glimpse of it?

[BerrieK]

Been cloudy here at Orange all afternoon, evening and night so far ... what a bummer.

Look foreward to seeing photos of the conjunction here on IIS since I cannot see it fo rmyself! Even my kids are disappointed.

[mozzie (Peter)]

what a site well worth it slightlt cloudy walked around the land a bit then out popped the moon and planets and it was cristal clear turned the bino's to m31 to show the wife man what i site after so much bad weather since iisac good to see something

[cookie8 (Vincent)]

Nothing but bloody clouds here. Cannot see a damn thing. Suppose to see this: but becoming this:

[iceman (Mike)]

Well I was lucky on the central coast.. clouds and light rain, followed by about 45 minutes of clear patchy sky, then clouds again.

So I got something! Photos transferring off the card now. Will try and get to some of them tonight (took heaps!).

[thorsdad]

Had a few clouds drift past, but just cleared up nicely to take a few shots with the telephoto lens on the tripod.

Check it out.

One set of clouds went past and the missus thought it looked like Marge Simpson with the vertical hair style. Damn, I missed taking that pic. We were in stitches in the back yard.