Two Bright “Stars” in the Evening Sky

Carl Hergenrother

[Editor’s note: I notice that lots of people are still finding this 4 month old post. If you are trying to find out what those bright stars (Venus and Jupiter) in the morning eastern sky are (July 2012), go to the front page of this blog at transientsky.wordpress.com for the latest posts.]

If you haven’t seen them yet, I urge you to go out right after nightfall this evening and look to the Southwest. High up in the sky the planets Venus (the brighter one) and Jupiter (fainter but still brighter than any other star in the sky) are passing within 3° of each other (about 6 lunar diameters.

After looking at the pair, turn yourself around 180°. The bright reddish “star” low in the east is another planet, Mars.

Published by Carl Hergenrother

I am a professional astronomer specializing in the study of comets, asteroids and meteors. This blog will focus on my professional and amateur work in this field.

47 Comments

  1. i noticed the two bright stars in the southwest on saturday and thought it strange, i had never seen any star that bright, i thought it was niburu…

    1. Seeing them from Greece,southern Athens area, very bright.I’ve been wondering for almost 3 weeks. Thanks for info!

    2. My, husband, my son and myself were walking around a lake when me and my son both noticed them. I said to my husband, “those have got to be planets.” He told me to look it up and I found this info. Very helpful. Thanks

      Orlando, FL

    4. The brightest of the two is indeed Nibiru. I have been watching it for over a year. It keeps getting brighter b/c it keeps getting closer. If it were any of the known planets, it’s orientation to us would change (in a given month or year)…This thing is ALWAYS in the same location relative to us. Also notice, that this planet has some sort of particle field or cloud around it, that is easily visible on clear nights. Btw, I am in the S.E. USA.

  2. Thank you for this information – I am looking at them now and feel rather….small (!) but priveledged to be sat in between 3 planets, on a field in the south of france!

  3. I noticed these a couple of nights ago also. Thank you for the info from Indiana. USA

  5. been noticing one of them for sometime since february and then there were two. they seem to be getting brighter and brighter

  6. In Northern NJ and my daughter and I have been enjoying the sight of he stars in the sky. Thank you for letting us know that are actually panets. So beautiful….

  7. Thank you, my wife and I saw them tonight as we took an evening stroll. They were so bright. It is good to find this explanation. I thought perhaps Venus but could not figure the other. 🙂 Longmont, Colorado

  8. Thank you, my two grandkids and I have been looking at them this week and were wondering. We live in Welch,Okla.

  9. Thanks for identifying those two bright stars. We observed them in the west from out evening hot tub here in Calgary, Alberta.

  10. Im from memphis tennessee i have noticed them and thought they were strange and then a friend came over today and said something about them as well. one question how do you know they are planets

  11. I’m sure Jupiter is on the far side of the sun at the moment (its orbit never takes it between us and the sun), but is Venus? (I imagine that Venus could be equally bright with 1/4 of it illuminated close by, vs. almost all of it illuminated while on the far side of the sun).

  14. Cortlandt Manor, NY I saw them last and wondered it they could possible be two planets -how cool!

  16. Thanks for the information. Just so bright !
    I need a decent telescope or binoculars to see Jupiters moons. Any suggestions?
    clear sky, 8:40 PM,Haliburton,On.Canada
    John

  22. I have seen them for the last couple of weeks .. they are so bright and I was wondering what the heck they were ! 🙂
    Cambridge , Ont

  23. Okay i knew these were planets but has anyone noticed they seems to be very close together these days. I mean think abotu it is 1012 now and the damn myams say the planets will align now i wasnt a believer in that until I noticed these to so close.

  24. My family and I have been watching them with our neighbors, we all had a idea that they were planets but none of us new truly what they were, we are glad you pointed out Mars, we have been watching them move for about 3 weeks, every night they move a little. We are from Gates county NC. Near Kitty Hawk NC the birth of flight. God Bless….

  25. It was great to see how these two planets connected people from different corners of the world – interesting to read all your comments. The world really IS small…thank you.
    I loved them too, by the way. Watched them from Canterbury, UK.

  28. I’ve been watching them from Winnipeg Manitoba… Just a thought, but could this be the same event that happened 2000 yrs ago to mark the birth of a messiah?

  29. amazing sight, is it just a coincidence that it is now 2012 and these happen to show up ? may this be the great signs in the heavens the bible warns us about in the end times ?

  30. Been keeping an eye on these bright stars (planets) for several weeks…….didn’t know until today what they were though…….They look sharp out here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota!

  31. I live in the hollow of a hill 3 klms outside new Ross town, Wexford in the south East of ireland. On a clear night the skies here are beautiful with the stars extremely clear however with the addition of Venus & Jupiter the sky is just out of this world .great to see wether in Pakistan, Greece, France, UK, Bermuda, USA or Canada we are all basking in the same great beauty of the nights sky. Very humbling

  32. what if it is niburu or planet x and astronomers are covering it up so theres not world wide rioting because thats exactly what would happen if there was a planet size meteor coming. if u just look back at this site alone it goes back to 2009 and these stars have only gotten bigger and brighter. i guess we will all have to wait and see.

  33. has anyone watched melancholia yet? haha, kinda reminds me of this and how astronomers would react. I live in the west. Arizona. And I can see these two stars early in the evening and on through to the dark night. I look out at them every evening and I can see them from my window, every night, they seem to get brighter to me.

  35. i have been watching these planets in the middle of the night, from my balcony, in the eastern sky, have noticed that the moon appears be between them at certain times but it moves on quickly in its orbit. Very interesting love it..

  37. I am looking to the eastwest and there is a bright star that seems to have a blue blinking to it. Have been watching it for days and was wondering what it was?

  38. I did a search tonight to find out if anyone else has seen what I’m looking at right now. I know what I’m seeing which looks like a star is very bright, and flickering with a strange motion very slow and deliberate. Its definitely moving and definitely to high to be an aircraft. What is it? It occasionally moves side to side then forward. I’ve never seen anything like this before.

Comments are closed.