LONDON: The planets Venus and Jupiter return to the eve skies this January. Jupiter will be rising in the east as Venus sets in the west. Both planets will be so extremely bright that you might mistake them for something else… They join the twinkly stars Sirius and Capella as the most-reported UFOs – but please don’t be fooled.
Planets will pass very close to each other throughout the 2015. On January 10, Mercury and Venus will shine together just after sunset. On the evening of February 20, the Moon forms a tight triangle with Venus and Mars. And on June 30, the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter will appear so close together at twilight that it may be difficult to tell them apart. Venus and Jupiter will meet again in the morning sky on October 26 and line up with Mars on October 28. Finally, don’t miss the slim crescent moon cozying up with Venus on the morning of November 7.
For star gazers in the U.S., the Moon will cross in front of two planets this year. These occultations make for very cool sights in a telescope. The first occultation will be on the evening of February 21. As you will see Venus and Mars next to each other, the Moon will occult the planet Uranus. And in the afternoon of December 7, the Moon will cover over Venus.
March 14, 2015 will be a very mathematical day. Mathematicians celebrate the number ‘Pi,’ approximated to 3.14, during the third month on the 14th day (every March 14). This is ‘Pi Day.’ You may have used this mathematical constant to help compute the circumference and area of a circle, but 3-14-15 will be an especially nice Pi Day. If you round the value for Pi to the nearest ten-thousandth it is 3.1415. And if you celebrate one moment on Pi Day, I recommend setting your alarm for 9:27. Rounded to the nearest ten-millionth, Pi is 3.1415927.
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