BOISE, Idaho — You may want to keep your eyes on the sky Wednesday night. Venus and Jupiter will be getting near each other at a distance that only happens about once every 15 years.
Dr. Brian Jackson is an associate professor in the physics department at Boise State University. He said the next time the two planets will get this close again will be 2039.
"As Jupiter and Venus approach conjunction, that means they get really close to each other, they're not going to actually make contact in the sky, they won't get quite that close," Jackson said. "But, they'll get almost as close as the moon is wide in they sky. So they'll be very close."
Jackson said Jupiter and Venus are some of the brightest objects in the sky next to the sun and the moon.
"Folks should be able to see them pretty easily. If you took toward the western sky, as the sun is setting, you will see two very bright stars...So it won't be hard for people to find as long as they skies are clear," Jackson said.
Jackson also said if this event whets your appetite, Boise State holds an astronomy lecture on the first Friday of every month. This Friday, March 3, Boise State is hosting Dr. Katy Wimberly from UC Riverside to talk about dwarf galaxies. The event starts at 7:30 p.m.
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