Jupiter and Venus

Figure Obtained from Astronomy Picture of the Day

               This picture was obtained from Astronomy Picture of the Day, it was posted on March 18^th 2012.  The two very bright objects that are shown in the image are Venus and Jupiter. Venus is known as the sister planet to Earth. It is closer to the sun then Earth but it is very close in size and composition. Venus is one of the four rocky planets that are located in our solar system. It appears to be very bright in the night sky this time of year because of its proximity to Earth as well as the very thick clouds that blanket the whole planet. As mentioned above the other bright object is Jupiter. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and has a large number of moons. Four of these moons are very large one being larger than the planet Mercury. These moons are known as the Galilean moons. I was able to observe Jupiter last week when it was higher in the sky and at dusk and from a telescope one could see the four moons. Jupiter is not like Earth and Venus in composition and in size. It is one of the four outer planets that are normally called the Gas Giants. This is because they have very large layers of gas and supercritical components and a very dense and small core. The core is more massive than Earth but it is smaller is size.  It is interesting that no matter where you are on Earth at this time of year on a clear night everyone on Earth can see these two objects with the naked eye. Anyone on the planet with a clear western horizon at sunset could see them. If you missed seeing these objects in the night sky the APOD site says that you will get another chance next may to see these objects close together.