Jupiter and Venus conjunction: Planets align perfectly with moon in early morning spectacle

Event is not especially rare but 'very pretty', Nasa expert says

Commuters have beem sharing their delight at the sight of Jupiter, Venus and the moon lined up in the early morning sky in a phenomenon known as a conjunction.

The two planets were visible in the same section of sky on Thursday morning as the moon appeared to pass between them at about 6am.

The same stunning line-up was visible to skygazers waiting on train platforms and elsewhere on Wednesday.

Venus, because it is much closer to the sun, appears significantly brighter in the sky than Jupiter, the solar system’s biggest planet.

Planetary conjunctions are relatively common events with 14 expected this year, the Royal Astronomical Society’s Morgan Hollis told CNN.

“Conjunctions aren’t that rare – they occur every few months,” according to Bill Cooke of Nasa. But, he added, “they’re very pretty”.

In reality Jupiter and Venus are hundreds of millions of miles apart.

Social media users posted a series of photographs of the phenomenon.

"Camera on my phone doesn't quite do it justice," said one.