Sunset Planet Alert


March 31, 2010: The solar system's innermost planets are about to put on a beautiful show.
This week, Mercury is emerging from the glare of the sun and making a beeline for Venus. By week's end, the two planets will be just 3^o apart, an eye-catching pair in the deep-blue twilight of sunset.
The best nights to look are April 3rd and 4th. Go outside at the end of the day and face west. Venus pops out of the twilight first, so bright it actually shines through thin clouds. Mercury follows, just below and to the right: sky map.
Right: Venus and Mercury converging over Saitama, Japan, on March 30th.

more at 

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2010/31mar_sunsetplanets.htm?list1350340