Planetary Conjunctions for 2008

A Guide to Some of the Best Planet Viewing

© Kelly Whitt

Oct 3, 2007

Some of the most interesting sights to observe in the sky are when planets appear to come close together. The following list pinpoints the dates that these conjunctions can best be observed. The list is not meant to be comprehensive, for more information on the planets, read the observing guide articles "The Night Sky for January," etc., published in the Stargazing section. This guide focuses on planets that can be seen without binoculars or a telescope, although either one will improve your view. The conjunctions at the beginning of the year occur in the morning and the later ones occur in the evening.

• February 1, 2008 - Venus and Jupiter - The first conjunction occurs early in the morning before the sun has risen. Jupiter, at magnitude -1.89, and Venus, at magnitude -3.98, lie a mere 35 arcminutes (less than one degree) apart in the constellation Sagittarius. The planets rise together in the East about one and a half hours before the sun.
• February 27, 2008 - Venus and Mercury - The next conjunction occurs between Venus, at magnitude -3.93, and Mercury, at magnitude 0.25, in the constellation Capricornus. The pair rise only one hour before the sun does in the east. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24, 2008 - Venus and Mercury - One month later, Mercury catches up to Venus again, and this time the two will be less than one degree apart. However, they will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge. Venus will be magnitude -3.9 and Mercury magnitude -0.27. This time they will be in the constellation Aquarius.
• July 10, 2008 - Saturn and Mars - The constellation Leo will host the yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars for this conjunction when they close in less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see. Saturn will be magnitude 0.75 and Mars will be 1.68.
• August 13, 2008 - Venus and Saturn - The two planets will be in the constellation Leo and less than one degree apart. (25 arcminutes, to be precise.) Venus will be the brightest at magnitude -3.9 with Saturn at magnitude 0.81. Keep watching for the next night:
• August 14, 2008 - Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - A triple conjunction occurs just after sunset in mid-August. The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the highest and brightest at magnitude -3.9, Saturn the middle object but dimmest at magnitude 0.81, and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn with a magnitude -0.54. (Note Mars, 16 degrees above the trio.)
• August 19-21, 2008 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. Venus will remain at magnitude -3.9, but Mercury will be dimming, going from -0.3 to -0.2.
• September 11, 2008 - Venus and Mars - Venus and Mercury left their August conjunctions and race toward Mars. Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart, at 18 arcminutes. Venus is magnitude -3.91 and Mars magnitude 1.69, with Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining at magnitude 0.21, brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1, 2008 - Venus and Jupiter - This conjunction of Venus and Jupiter won't be as close as the one in the morning hours that happened earlier in the year, but it will be much easier to see. November 30 also shows Venus and Jupiter at close range. The two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus on the 1st. Venus will be shining at magnitude -4.14 and Jupiter will be -2.03, a spectacular grouping. All three will lie within the borders of Sagittarius.
• December 31, 2008 - Jupiter and Mercury - The year closes with Jupiter and Mercury appearing after sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Jupiter will be magnitude -1.95 and Mercury -0.67. As a bonus, Mecury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. Use binoculars to catch Jupiter, Mercury, and the magnitude 8.6 cluster in one view.

December 1 2008 Conjunction from Baghdad Iraq

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