Venus and Jupiter appeared close together Wednesday night and a lot of people thought the planets were UFOs
WISN-TV (Channel 12) chief meteorologist Mark Baden wants his viewers to know one thing about the two bright lights that appeared in the sky Wednesday night.
"I promise it wasn't aliens."
They weren't UFOS, or rogue spy balloons, or extraterrestrial beings taking a peek at Earth.
Just the planets Venus and Jupiter, appearing closer together than usual, because of how their orbits lined up.
It's something that "just happens," Baden said.
Scientists would say the two planets are "in conjunction." The romantically inclined might say they shared a cosmic kiss.
More:5 places in the Milwaukee area where you can stargaze or watch for the northern lights
More:Two of the brightest planets will be together in the night sky: How to see Jupiter and Venus
Take it from a CNN report on the subject: "Conjunctions have no particular astronomical significance, but they are a striking spectacle to view."
Venus and Jupiter only appeared close enough to touch from our vantage point. The two planets are over 400 million miles apart.
Baden said the WISN-TV newsroom received close to 100 calls Wednesday night from viewers alarmed at the sight.
"It was bonkers last night, completely bonkers," he said.
Some didn't accept the explanation that the lights were just planets doing their thing. They were convinced they were UFOs — or more spy balloons from China.
"People have fast imaginations and they couldn't understand that this could be something that just occurs," Baden said. "People just don't take scientific explanations very well anymore."
TV reporters and meteorologists around Milwaukee posted online about the barrage of calls coming into their newsrooms.
You asked: Orbs? UFOs? Nope, just Venus and Jupiter sharing a little kiss in the sky 🪐🥰 pic.twitter.com/ipjBubSAAe
— Sarah McGrew (@sarahrosemcgrew) March 2, 2023
Some even called 911. In one case, a dispatcher directed a Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy working the overnight shift to a location near the airport after a caller spotted two lights in the sky.
The deputy checked an online sky map to confirm "that the lights were planets and not visitors from another planet," said James Burnett, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office spokesman.
It'll be cloudy Thursday night, so Venus and Jupiter's close quarters might be obscured. They'll slowly drift apart in the days to come.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Venus and Jupiter appeared close, sparking concern of UFOs or aliens
