Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society says he would not be surprised if there are mistaken UFO sightings as the two brightest planets appear together in the night sky.
Jupiter and Venus conjunction dazzles amateur astrologists
The planets are 450 million miles apart in space, but because they are aligned in the same direction from Earth they last night appeared just three degrees apart. They were visible towards the West just after sunset and before the stars appeared. They will appear bright and relatively close over the next few weeks, and will be most visible in rural areas where there is less light pollution. Read more
The pairing of Jupiter and Venus in the sky is set to reach its closest point in the coming days. Despite being vastly far from one another in space, the conjunction will make them appear just a few degrees apart in the sky - about the width of a pair of fingers held at arm's length. Read more