Jupiter and Venus, the two brightest planets in the Solar System, appear to be touching each other in a rare celestial sight this weekend.
Although in reality they would be millions of miles away from them, astronomers on Earth seem close enough to almost collide in a planetary complex once a year.
This year, however, Jupiter and Venus It will look much closer than usual and should only be visible with binoculars or even the naked eye. If you fall behind, you will have to wait another 17 years to repeat the performance.
In addition to the exceptional planetary assemblages on display Saturn Mars appears to be in a straight line with Jupiter and Venus.
The planets have been getting closer to each other over the past two weeks, said Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the National University of Australia.
“Although Venus and Jupiter get closer every few years, this time too Mars And Saturn is in a very rare combination.
“If you have a binoculars, a binoculars, or a good camera, you’ll see better.”
Despite their close appearance, the planets would actually be 430 meters away from orbit.
In the UK, the event could be viewed from a high point on a clear eastern horizon around 5 a.m. on Saturday. However, it will still be visible on Sunday and the days after that as the planets split up again.
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It would be almost impossible to see from London, but the planets in the far west of the country would look even closer.
Observers in Sydney, Australia, can see the planet pair rising east around 3:30 a.m. local time on May 1st.
“The planets will be different in brightness,” said the People’s Assembly’s chief observer astronomyProfessor Lucy Green told BBC News.
“Venus is much brighter than Jupiter, so it will look amazingly bright when you see it. Jupiter will be much dimmer, about one-sixth brighter than Venus. ”
Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars met in an eastern sky in a formation that is likely to be visible only in 2040, on May 13, 2011, at the early sunrise.
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