Kathmandu, December 1:

A rare conjunction between Jupiter — the biggest planet — and Venus — the brightest planet — along with Moon was seen in the south-west sky this evening.

The planets were shining brightly just two degrees apart along with a waxing crescent moon, which was three degrees away from Venus. A similar conjunction will occur next on November 18, 2052. “Venus and Jupiter, the two normally brightest planets, moved closer in the sky worldwide. This is a rare phenomenon,” said Rishi K B Shah, academician, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST). “The two planets were nearly parallel and were observed as a triangle with moon.

It’s a beautiful alliance among Jupiter, the king of planets, Venus, the romantic planet, and moon,” added Shah.

The conjunction was visible to the naked eye, thanks to a clear sky.

The planets came to closest at 6:45 pm. Jupiter was seen in the southwestern sky above Venus.

“Jupiter and Venus will get this close again in 2011. But moon won’t be able to form the triangle. In fact, the conjunction has nothing to with the actual distance between the planets. The proximity appears only to observers,” explained Suresh Bhattarai, secretary, Nepal Astronomical Society.