Venus and Jupiter to 'outshine all the stars in the sky' in rare 'double planet' spectacle

The moon and Venus on a clear night sky over Cork. Astronomy Ireland's David Moore said: "The only thing brighter than these is a full moon, and people will know the moon, these planets look like bright stars." File picture: Denis Minihane

Planets Venus and Jupiter will "outshine all the stars in the sky" in a rare "double planet" spectacle in Irish skies on Wednesday night.

That is according to Astronomy Ireland's David Moore, who says the planets will be "closer than the width of a full moon" in an event which he claims will be "spectacular to the naked eye".

Explaining why the two planets will be visible in Irish skies on Wednesday, Mr Moore said: "What's happening is, over in the western sky, we've just had the planet Venus coming into view, and it's the brightest planet in the sky, it's about 100 times brighter than the brightest star you'll see overhead.

"But while sneaking into the evening sky, it is getting closer to the second brightest planet, Jupiter, and tonight, they pass each other. They'll only be close tonight and tomorrow [Thursday] night, so we are trying to alert people to get out and see what we are calling 'double planet'."

According to Mr Moore, this is a very rare event and won't occur again until 2025.

"We've looked ahead and there is another time it happens in 2025 but you have to get up at dawn to see that one. It certainly only happens every few years, perhaps once a decade or something like that, and even the one in 2025 won't be as close as this one — it's a bit of a record breaker in that regard," he said.

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Mr Moore has advised that stargazers won't need binoculars or a telescope to enjoy this evening's display. The "double planet" sighting will be visible shortly after sunset when the sky gets dark.

Mr Moore said that "around 7pm the sky will be getting dark and these two will be blazing in the west". However, that is once the sky is clear and cloud cover doesn't take over.

Mr Moore said: "I would say 7pm is probably the ideal time if you have a perfectly clear sky, but being in Ireland, the weather is always a factor. So start watching from 6pm and check every 10 minutes. If there's any breaks in the clouds, stick your head out the door to have a look.

A sighting of Venus and Jupiter in the sky tonight

"These are the two brightest things in the sky so you don't need anything more than a tiny break in the clouds to see them.

The only thing brighter than these is a full moon, and people will know the moon, these planets look like bright stars.

Whilst the planets may look in close contact, Mr Moore confirmed that in realty, they are not physically close at all.

"It's like holding your finger up in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, your finger will cover the tower when it's nowhere near it, it's just line of sight effects."

According to Mr Moore, Venus is about 200 million kilometres away from Earth, whilst Jupiter is about 900 million kilometres away.

Mr Moore went on to praise the technology which helps astronomers forecast these wonders in the sky.

He said: "In ancient times, people saw these things and didn't really know what was going on, but now we know exactly what's going on. Computers do a great job predicting these things so well in advance that we can alert people."

Blackrock Castle Observatory's Alan Giltinan said if you miss a viewing tonight, don't worry, as the planets "will be visible very close to each other for a few more nights." 

And according to Mr Giltinan, the sight can be seen from "anywhere."

"From your home to just being out for a walk.. as long as you have good clear sky to the west and try avoiding high treelines or buildings in that direction," he said.