Hot off the bright trails of the Green Comet, February 2023 has gifted stargazers another celestial spectacle, with Jupiter and Venus meeting in the night sky.

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This coming together of astronomical objects, known as a conjunction, was made even more special for stargazers yesterday evening (26 February), with the Moon visible beside the two planets.

You can take a look at the best images of the conjunction so far below, with astronomers around the world snapping the event.

Better still, you can see it for yourself: as our Venus and Jupiter conjunction 2023 guide explains, the two planets will be less than one degree apart in the sky on 1 and 2 March.

If you want to make the most of the night sky this year, be sure to check our full Moon UK calendar, meteor shower calendar and astronomy for beginners guide.

Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, USA

Sent in by teacher and BBC Science Focus reader Mark Orsatti, this image was taken on a phone camera from behind the John A Pigeon library at The Kiski School. Photo by Mark Orsatti

Srinagar, Kashmir, India

great conjunction of Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Saturn on black sky
The crescent Moon along with the planets Venus and Jupiter are seen during a rare conjunction in Srinagar, India, on the 24 February 2023. Photo by Saqib Majeed/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Sheerness, United Kingdom

House and 3 white balls of light in night sky
A conjunction of the crescent Moon with Jupiter and Venus in the night sky above Sheerness, Kent. Photographed on 24 February 2023. Photo by James Bell/Alamy Live News

Paris, France

Paris skyline at night
The beacon of the Eiffel Tower sweeps past the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter on 1 March 2023, as it is seen right above the twin towers of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris and the bridge of Louis-Philippe, France. Photo by Yassir Abdulfatah

Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

Planet Jupiter and Venus in a row
During the conjunction, this great image of Jupiter and four of its moons was taken by 13-year-old Aarav Mehra using his beginner's refractor telescope. Photo by Aarav Mehra ©Aarav Mehra

Cape Point, South Africa

Red sky sunset with bright Moon
This view of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction (with the Moon in between) was taken at Cape Point, South Africa on 22 February 2023. The stunning sunset and a lack of light pollution at this remote location really adds to the atmosphere of the image. Photo by Nicole Dale

Istanbul, Turkey

great conjunction of Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Saturn on black sky
A view of the great conjunction of the crescent Moon, Jupiter and Saturn over the sky in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23 February 2023. Photo by Isa Terli/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Islamabad, Pakistan

Planets and moon all in a line on night sky
In this image, taken on 23 February 2023, the crescent of a new Moon is seen in conjunction with planets Jupiter and Venus in the sky above Islamabad. Photo by Aamir Qureshi/Getty Images

London, United Kingdom

Blue night sky with cloud and glowing planets
The planet Jupiter, with two of its moons visible (above), and Venus (below) separated by clouds. Photographed on 26 February 2023. Photo by Malcolm Park/Alamy Live News

Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

Venus and Jupiter in a line in the night sky
The planets of Venus and Jupiter appear together in this image. Photo by Aarav Mehra

More images from BBC Science Focus:

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Linz, Austria

The recent Moon meets Venus and Jupiter, in this image taken on 22 February 2023. Photo by Herbert Raab/Flickr

Goa, India

Crescent Moon and two planets in a line in the night's sky
The crescent Moon, Jupiter and Venus captured in the sky above Colomb Beach, Goa, India, 23 February 2023. Photo by Rae Winfield

L'Aquila, Italy

three bright lights in night sky
The planets Jupiter and Venus are seen in conjunction after sunset above LAquila, Italy, on 1 March 2023. Moons (satellites) of Jupiter are also visible in this image. Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Clevedon, United Kingdom

Night sky with two planets
Venus and Jupiter in conjunction on the evening of 2 March 2023. Photographed in Clevedon, United Kingdom. Photo by James Cutmore

Storhogna, Sweden

Two planets shining in blue sky
An image of Venus and Jupiter in conjunction, taken in the hills of Storhogna, Sweden, on 3 March 2023. Photo by Martin Frey

Authors

James CutmorePicture Editor, BBC Science Focus

James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine, researching striking images for the magazine and on the website. He is also has a passion for taking his own photographs

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