OVERCAST SKIES OVER JEFFERSON PARK OBSCURE MORNING VIEWING OF A COSMIC ENCOUNTER BETWEEN PLANETS VENUS AND JUPITER

Both Venus and Jupiter – about 416 million miles apart in the solar system -- rose in the morning, before sunrise, in close proximity to one another.

To the naked eye, we are told, the two planets probably looked like one big star.

One needed binoculars or a small telescope to see them apart.

Venus is the second planet from our Sun and Jupiter the fifth.

Here is the order of the planets (in case you have forgotten what was taught in first grade Science): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and little Pluto.

For those who missed the Monday viewing – you can try on Tuesday morning when the two planets will be farther apart but still close enough.

Note: I was in Jefferson Park by 7:20 a.m. The sun rose at 7:15 a.m. and will set at 5:08 p.m. Both Venus and Jupiter rose at 6:01 a.m.

Have a nice day!