On August 26th, the two brightest objects in the night sky got together for a spectacular conjunction. Tom Cocchiaro reports from Portsmouth, New Hampshire: "I went outside just after midnight to get some mail I had forgotten and--BOOM! There they were, the moon and Jupiter wedged between two tall maple trees like something from 2001 A Space Odyssey." He grabbed his new Canon T2i and recorded the scene:
Image
© Tom Cocchiaro

Readers, did you miss it? An even better version of this conjunction occurs next month. The Moon and Jupiter will meet again on Sept. 22nd when the Moon is full and Jupiter simultaneously reaches an 11-year peak in brightness. Mark your calendar!

More images: from Monika Landy-Gyebnar of Veszprem, Hungary; from Stuart Atkinson of Kendal, Cumbria, England; from Tamás Ábrahám of Szomor, Hungary; from Mohammad Mehdi Asgari of Arak, Markazi, Iran; from Anton Husek of Klatovy Czech Republic