What are the two planets in alignment visible in the northwestern sky
just after dusk?

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 05 Sep 2005 17:20 PDT

Howdy quirky123-ga,

It is almost certainly Venus and Jupiter you are seeing.

"Venus, Jupiter pairing up after sunset" by Alan M. MacRobert,
Boston Globe Correspondent, dated September 3, 2005.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/03/venus_jupiter_pairing_up_after_sunset/

"This week the two brightest planets -- the two brightest
celestial objects after the sun and moon -- shine together
very low in the west after sunset. You can watch them every
clear evening as they change positions daily."

The Amateur Astronomers Association of New York has some
graphics of how it should appear.

"Venus, Jupiter and nearby Spica at 8:30 PM on September 1"
http://www.aaa.org/050901west.jpg

"Venus, Jupiter, Spica and the Moon gather in twilight 8:30
PM September 6."
http://www.aaa.org/050906west.jpg

It should, however, be more in the western sky that these
two should be appearing, but that depends on where you
are located.  If the above is acceptable to you, I can
post it as an answer for you, with my search strategy.

Thanks!  denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

Howdy quirky123-ga,

It is certainly Venus and Jupiter you were seeing.

From an article titled "Venus, Jupiter pairing up after sunset" by Alan M.
MacRobert, Boston Globe Correspondent, dated September 3, 2005.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/09/03/venus_jupiter_pairing_up_after_sunset/

"This week the two brightest planets -- the two brightest celestial objects
after the sun and moon -- shine together very low in the west after sunset.
You can watch them every clear evening as they change positions daily."

These Amateur Astronomers Association of New York pages have some graphics
of how they appeared.

"Venus, Jupiter and nearby Spica at 8:30 PM on September 1"
http://www.aaa.org/050901west.jpg

"Venus, Jupiter, Spica and the Moon gather in twilight 8:30 PM September 6."
http://www.aaa.org/050906west.jpg

It should, however, be more in the western sky that these two should have
been appearing, but that depends on where you are located.

If you need any clarification, please feel free to ask.


Search strategy:

Google search on: planets alignment 2005 September
://www.google.com/search?q=planets+alignment+2005+September

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

......