From SJAstro.org
Jupiter and Venus at Conjunction
August 12, 2025
|
On the morning of August
12, 2025, the planets
Jupiter
and Venus
reached conjunction in geocentric right ascension, as well as
their appulse (closest approach), about 0.9° apart. This
snapshot of them was captured from Swede Run in Moorestown, NJ.
Transparency wasn't as good as it was on the previous four days
when they were sighted, and there were some pesky horizontal
cloud bands above the eastern horizon, in addition to the 89%
illuminated Moon to the south. This picture is from a single raw
frame taken at 3:45 am EDT with a Canon EOS RP DSLM cameras and
a Canon 100 mm, f/2.8L macro lens on a fixed tripod. It was
exposed 2 seconds at f/4, ISO 1600, auto white balance. It was
slightly adjusted with Canon's Digital Photo Professional 4 and cropped to a 16:9 ratio, 96% of the width x 81% of the
height, yielding a field 20° wide x 11° high. At the time, Venus
was at magnitude -4.0, 4.8° altitude and Jupiter was magnitude
-2.0, 5.3° altitude, in the constellation
Gemini,
towards the ENE. Astronomical twilight would begin at 4:26 am.
Click
here for a larger version, mouseover for labels.
I also observed the two planets with my 88 mm apo spotting
scope, from 25 to 60x. The pair fit nicely in the 2.4° FOV at
25x. At 60x, they were a snug fit in the 1.3° field, but then I
could see the four Galilean satellites and banding on the Jovian
disc; Io was quite close to the western limb and moving away.
Because of its dazzling brightness, as well as the low altitude,
it was difficult to judge the small gibbous disc of Venus (78%
illuminated). At best, it seemed a little oval. |
Jupiter and Venus Converge
August 9, 2025
|
On August 9, 2025, the planets Jupiter and Venus were a lovely pair, just 3° apart at 4:30 am EDT when this snapshot of them was captured from Swede Run in Moorestown, NJ. The span is still closing and Venus will pass just a degree from Jupiter on the morning of August 12 as discussed below. This picture is from a single raw frame taken with a Canon EOS RP DSLM cameras and a Canon 24 to 105 mm, f/4L zoom lens set to 50 mm focal length. It was exposed 4 seconds at f/5.6, ISO 3200, daylight white balance. It was slightly adjusted (contrast & shadow level) with Canon's Digital Photo Professional 4, and it was cropped to a 16:9 ratio, 97% of the width x 82% of the height, yielding a field 39° wide x 22° high. At the time, Venus was at magnitude -4.0, 13.4° altitude and Jupiter was magnitude -2.0, 11.7° altitude, in the constellation Gemini, towards the ENE. The Full Moon was in the SW. Click here for a larger version, mouseover for labels. |
Upcoming Jupiter and Venus Conjunction
on
August 12, 2025
On the morning of August
12, 2025, the planets
Jupiter
and Venus
will be less than a degree apart at 4:30 am EDT, the nominal
start of astronomical twilight in our southern New Jersey area.
There will also be an 89% illuminated Moon at 47° altitude in
the southwest, both factors starting the end of
Perseid meteor shower watching for the morning of April 12.
Since this year's shower peaks at 20 hr UT, or 4 pm EDT, on Aug
12, the night of April 12-13 will also be prime night for
Perseid
watching in our area, and it will also have a little less Moon, about 82% at
midnight. The chart above is a wide field screen clip from
SkySafari showing the two planets amidst
Gemini,
with Orion
off to the twins right at 4:30 am. Should be a nice view! The next chart is
a closer view of the planets. Additionally, since Venus is
relatively easy to see in the daytime with optical aid, it could
be used as a guide to spotting dimmer Jupiter in the daytime.
Here's a table of Sun & Moon rise and set times for the
nights of Aug 11 & 12 and 12 & 13, as well as some Venus and
Jupiter information for the morning of Aug 12.
A closer clip of the planets
Jupiter
and Venus
on the morning of August 12, 2025.
They're just 52 arc minutes apart at 4:30 am EDT, about
half-an-hour after their formal conjunction in geocentric right
ascension, about 2 hours after their appulse (closest approach),
which is their conjunction in ecliptic longitude. The circles
around the planets show the field-of-view with several of my
smaller instruments, a 9.1° field with my 8x42 binoculars, 5.3°
with my 12x50 binoculars and 2.0° with my 88 mm spotting scope
at 25x. With the spotting scope, especially at 60x, Jupiter's
33" disc, along with it's satellites Callisto to the east and
Io, Europa and Ganymede in that order to the west, will be
visible. Even at 60x, Venus' 13.5" gibbous disc (79%
illuminated) will be tightly in the same field as Jupiter. At
4:30 am, their azimuth will be about 72° as shown below.
At 4:30 am EDT from Atsion field on the morning of August
12, 2025, the planets
Jupiter
and Venus
will be about 13° altitude and 72° azimuth (ENE), as shown with
this compass overlay from
OpenStreetMap
by the Barcelona Field Studies Center. They should be clear of
the tree line by then. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate!