New Delhi (NVI): Two of the biggest planets of the solar system – Jupiter and Saturn – will form ‘The Great Conjunction’ in the sky tonight.
The Great Conjunction is a rare astronomic event that will occur tonight. The two planets will nearly overlap to form a “double planet,” an event that hasn’t been visible since the Middle Ages.
Although, the planets regularly appear to pass each other in the solar system, with the positions of Jupiter and Saturn being aligned in the sky about once every 20 years.
It’s been nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night, as it will for 2020, allowing nearly everyone around the world to witness this “great conjunction.”
“The distance between the planets will remain same but the angle of viewing it from Earth will be aligned. From the Earth, the two planets will be viewed only 0.1 degrees apart,” said Dr. Yashwant Gupta, Director of NCRA, National Centre for Radio Astrophysics.
Despite appearing super close, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles (730 million km) apart. Earth, meanwhile, will be 550 million miles (890 million km) from Jupiter.
A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but even some of their brightest moons.
Their next super-close pairing is expected in March 15, 2080.
According to Nasa, here’s how you can watch the phenomenon yourself:
-Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.
-An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.
-The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.
