If you live near Pretoria/Joburg, and have clear skies tonight, go outside and look west just after sunset as the stars are starting to come out.
Wherever you are in the world, you'll see #Jupiter and #Venus shining as a pair of bright beacons close together, and if you check every night, you'll see them getting closer and closer until 1st March when they start moving apart again.
But for the Pretoria/Joburg crowd, there'll be something extra special! Tonight (26 Feb), at 7:21pm, you'll see a bright satellite passing above Jupiter, and it's a dead rocket body left over from a US Air Force launch in 2005. Tomorrow night (27 Feb) at 7:20pm local time, we'll see the Chinese Space Station pass between Jupiter and Venus!
Both these things will move pretty fast across the sky, so timing is critical - if you're even one minute late, you will miss it, so I recommend heading outside WELL in advance, and just admiring the Jupiter/Venus show until it arrives!

I picked this up on #Stellarium, completely by accident, while checking the separation for the Jupiter/Venus #Conjunction and I haven't been this excited about space stuff in years!

#astronomy #Satellites #SouthAfrica #SouthernSkies #Space

Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is making its closest approach to Earth today, but unfortunately, it won't be visible in South Africa due to its northern location. Starting 4 Feb after 20:30, it may be visible with binoculars, but sky conditions will impact visibility. The best viewing opportunity will be 7-8 Feb. Check https://theskylive.com/c2022e3-info for visibility from your location.

#Astronomy #SouthernSkies