BRILLIANT CONJUNCTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20306, 13 July 1929, Page 10

BRILLIANT CONJUNCTION.

VENUS AND JUPITER.

EARLY MORNING PHENOMENON

In the twilight of Sunday or Monday mornings, the two brilliant planets, Venus and Jupiter, may be seen lying close together in the sky. The actual conjunction between these bodies will occur at 9.50 p.m. to-morrow, when both will be below the horizon at Aucklaud, but their motions are sufficiently slow to keep them close together for several days, and their brilliancy and proximity in the northeastern sky should attract the attention of all earlv risers.

The conjunction will take place in an interesting part of the sky in Taurus. The two brilliant planets will be lying on the northern edge of the well-known open cluster of the Hyades, in which the bright Al.debaran shines in pale eclipse in comparison with the two planets. Close to the lel't may be seen the Pleiades, the "seven sisters," an£ due east the many bright stars of Orion at that time will be Rising. Jupiter, the lower and slightly fainter of the two bodies, has just, emerged from behind the sun and, although it& motion is in the same direction as the sun's, it is so small in amount as to make the planet appear tu be drawing away from the sun, so that each successive morning it is improving its position for observation. Venus, the other planet concerned in the conjunction, is rapidly approaching the sun after its recent elongation, and observations on several mornings will reveal the rapidity with which it will sweep past Jupiter, moving in toward the sun, by whose light it will eventually be concealed.