CNN Indonesia
Saturday, 15 Apr 2023 11:16 WIB
Illustration. The moon will be in conjunction with Saturn on April 16. (BETWEEN PHOTOS/Dedhez Anggara)
Jakarta, CNNIndonesia —
A number of phenomena heaven happened in April 2023, between conjunction Moon and Saturn on Sunday (16/4). What’s the mechanism?
The celestial phenomenon that occurs this weekend will make the crescent moon and the ring planet Saturn in the same celestial longitude. The two members of this solar system will be in the best position after dawn until before sunrise.
“The moon and Saturn will be in the same celestial longitude with an angle of 3° 29′. Both will be in the best position to observe from 02:30 WIB to 05.35 WIB,” wrote the Bosscha Observatory on its Instagram account.
These two celestial objects will be at the peak of the phenomenon during the day, at 10.49 WIB to be precise.
Quoted from Starwalk Space, The moon and Saturn will continue to get closer during the day. At 13.12 WIT, the two were only 3°11′ apart.
Unfortunately, Indonesia is already in the afternoon, so the Moon and Saturn are no longer visible in the sky.
The moon and Saturn itself can be seen in the dawn sky in the constellation Aquarius. Saturn will be bright enough to see with the naked eye, but we can also observe the two objects through binoculars.
Saturn rises at midnight in the Southern Hemisphere, so observers from southern latitudes will have at least three hours before sunrise to enjoy the view.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Hemisphere, Saturn appears in the sky just an hour before sunrise and is low above the horizon.
Apart from the conjunction of the Moon and Saturn, another celestial phenomenon will also occur next week, namely the Hybrid Solar Eclipse. This rare phenomenon will occur on April 20.
But the Hybrid Solar Eclipse won’t be the last celestial phenomenon in April. On April 23, the Moon will be in conjunction with Venus. Three days later, Mars’ turn will be in conjunction with the Earth’s satellite.
(lom/lth)
