Thompson-Okanagan night sky features rare conjunction of moon, Jupiter and Venus

The moon, Jupiter and Venus could be seen clustered together in the night sky for the past couple of days.

Last night, Feb. 22, the moon was conjunct Venus first then conjunct Jupiter. The night before it was between the two planets.

Kelowna resident Sean Perdue is a member of the Okanagan branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and an avid astrophotographer.

“Conjunctions happen every year but having two at the same time isn’t as common,” he said. “The moon travels on the same plane as the planets so a conjunction with the moon and one planet is more typical.”

A conjunction is when two planets, a planet and the moon or a planet and a star appear close to one another in the night sky.

READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: How unique lake ice formations were created in the Shuswap

Perdue said while the moon and two planets won’t be in the same spots tonight, more interesting views are coming. 

“Tonight the three bodies will be in a perfect line with the moon on top, then Jupiter, then Venus, straight down to the horizon, so people can see that, starting at sundown. It’ll be visible until about 9 p.m. tonight.” 

He said from Feb. 27 to March 5, the moon will start moving further away while Jupiter gets closer to Venus before separating later in March.

Go here to view Perdue’s astrophotography.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Ainslie or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.