2021, November 28:  Evening Planets on Parade

November 28, 2021:  During twilight this evening, the three bright evening planets – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter – are on parade in the southwestern sky.

2021, November 28: Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter are lined up in the southwestern sky as if they are in a parade.
Photo Caption – 2021, November 28: Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter are lined up in the southwestern sky as if they are in a parade.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

This evening as night fell, the three bright evening planets – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter – were on parade in the southwestern sky.

Brilliant Venus is in its interval of greatest brightness.  At about 5 p.m. CST in Chicago, the Evening Star was about 16° up in the southwest.

Through a small telescope, Venus is displaying an evening crescent, 30% illuminated.

Dimmer Saturn was 19.7° to the upper left of Venus.

Bright Jupiter was 16.3° to the upper left of the Ringed Wonder.

Venus continues to close in on Saturn until December 16.  All three planets are moving eastward compared to the plane of the solar system and to the background stars.  Jupiter is in eastern Capricornus, while Saturn is nearing the central part of that constellation.  Venus is moving eastward in Sagittarius.

Until the end of the year, look for this planetary trio lined up in the southwestern sky after sunset.

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