Stargazers in Wales were once again wowed as the planets Jupiter and Venus aligned perfectly with the Moon in the sky last night.
On Wednesday (February 22) the two planets - the brightest 'stars' in the sky - met up with our moon when it was a just tiny sliver of a crescent. And similar scenes were repeated last night (Thursday, February 22), to the delight of people across Wales.
Many captured the stunning spectacle on camera and shared their photos on social media. While some wondered what it was they were witnessing, most were just grateful to have witnessed it at all.
Commenting on a Wales Online Facebook post, Kaka Davey said: "I didn't take a photo, but it was a fantastic sight to see this evening." And Christina Davies said: "Seen it last night. it's amazing."
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Lisa Turner commented: "Saw this earlier with my son! He pointed it out it because it looked cool." And Gail Nash wrote: "Beautiful. Seen it tonight. Once in a life time."
And Lindsey Grey said: "It was perfect tonight. I loved it."
On twitter, @IamRikaSmith, tweeted: "Jupiter, The Moon and Venus, from the valleys of Wales."
And Alan Rees Thomas captured some stunning shots of the alignment over Cowbridge.
Further north, Ian Brookes tweeted: "Lucky to have a clear sky in north Wales just now, a bright Moon and aligned to the centre point are Jupiter & Venus bright in the sky."
And Mike J captured this stunning shot of the spectacle over Llanelli town centre:
As the month goes on, the moon will pass further from the planets. Jupiter and Venus, however, will move more closely into alignment. The alignment has been noticeable in early evening
Astronomy website EarthSky says that Venus, the brightest planet is climbing higher in the west after sunset each night. And that it’s moving closer to the second brightest planet, Jupiter, which is now descending towards the sunset.
EarthSky says: "By February’s end, they’ll be super noticeable … ready to dazzle you! Their conjunction will come in early March."
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