Configuration for menus. Every evening since late January, Venus and Jupiter have been gradually drawing closer together, gleaming like a pair of celestial diamonds set against the radiant indigo of twilight.
Astronomers refer to such couplings of bright planets as conjunctions.
Not quite close enough to merge into one object, but almost. At the climax of the conjunction, right after dark on the 23rd, the two planets will appear just one quarter of the moon's diameter apart. It's a sight definitely worth watching for, and a perfect opportunity to witness planetary motion in action. But it's all a question of appearances. In reality, Venus and Jupiter are no where near each other.