Another UFO? West Michigan Residents Spot Mysterious Lights In Night Sky

The skies over Michigan have certainly seen a lot of excitement recently! First Starlink satellites perplexed West Michigan residents. Now, just weeks after the national scare involving a mysterious flying object being shot down over Lake Huron, residents were quick to notice two mysterious lights that have started to appear in the evening sky.

On Twitter Wood TV8 Chief Meteorologist Ellen Bacca wrote,

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Nights like these are so fun! So many calls into the newsroom and emails from people...Always fun when we get a positive communal event.

If you didn't see these lights firsthand you probably saw them all over your Facebook feed, like I did. I immediately rushed outside to see them with my own eyes, but by then they were gone.

There's got to be a logical explanation, right?

No, It's Not a UFO

It seems the answer is not as exciting as UFOs or weather balloons from China. In fact, the answer is actually quite mundane: it's simply a celestial conjunction.

In astronomical terms, a conjunction is when two objects appear close together in the night sky. In this case, Jupiter and Venus appear to be touching in the night sky. See, there is a logical explanation after all!

Best Times to View

According to Science Focus, Venus and Jupiter will appear to be less than 1 degree apart in the night sky. The peak of this conjunction will occur the night of March 2; after that the two planets will begin to pull apart.

Look for the two planets to appear just after sunset. Of the two, Venus is the brighter planet meaning it should be easily identifiable when you look towards the stars. However, light from the current waxing gibbon moon may outshine the planets so make sure you're looking to the West where the conjunction should be hovering over the horizon.