The meteor shower Saturn and Jupiter approach each other. And a total solar eclipse

The meteor shower Saturn and Jupiter approach each other. And a total solar eclipse – BBC Thai

Ava Ontiveros
BBC World Service

The year 2020 might be a bad year for a lot of people. But in astronomy There is a rare phenomenon that people can wait to see at the end of this year.

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In December, there are a number of amazing celestial phenomena that people around the world can see from their own homes. Without the use of a telescope or expensive equipment at all

Two planets almost merged to become one. The coolest meteor shower And a total solar eclipse All these phenomena, you can only see the open sky. But some phenomena require protection of your eyes. In addition, it may be necessary to have a device indicating the location of the viewing time.

This is the phenomenon the universe has presented to us this month. Sorted in chronological order as follows

Dec 13-14: Geminids meteor shower or twin meteor shower can be seen around the world.

You may have seen other shooting stars in the past several months. But be prepared to watch “King of the meteor shower” this month

“Much of the meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through debris left by the comet,” said Patricia Skelton, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in the United Kingdom.

“But the meteor shower is special that The debris was created by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon (3200 Phaethon), ”Patricia said.

So each year As the earth crosses through streams of dust and rocks, we can see this beautiful spectacle at night. The meteor shower that will occur between 13-14 December, there may be as many as 150 meteorites per hour.

Patricia said, “The meteor enters Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 35 km per second … or almost 130,000 km per hour!”

Patricia added: Will cause a yellow flash of light Or sometimes it’s green or bluish above the sky. “As the shooting star burns [จากการเคลื่อนตัวไปอย่างรวดเร็วในทุกทิศทาง]”

The darker the environment The more likely to see this beautiful spectacle more clearly But we can still see some shooting stars in the highly disturbed urban areas.

Another good news is This year’s meteor shower coincides with the New Moon phenomenon, which will make the sky even more dark. Different from last year That occurred on the full moon Which is considered an enemy of stargazing

14 Dec: total solar eclipse. Seen in Chile and Argentina …

People from all over the world can watch the phenomenon live on the Internet.

If it were before the coronavirus pandemic, Many people will be flock to this very special phenomenon in Patagonia. South of chile And argentina

But during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, most people will have to watch the phenomenon online.

If you are lucky enough to see the phenomenon for yourself, remember not to look directly at the sun. Always use protective equipment

In a wonderful 24-minute period, the moonset will pass before the sun. “It was only 2 minutes and 9.6 seconds,” said Tanya de Sales Marquis, astronomer at the Greenwich Observatory.

“The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun,” explains Tanya, but it looks bigger. It is closer to us, so it can obscure the whole sun.

The moon’s orbit in front of the Sun creates darkness over the southernmost parts of South America in broad daylight.

The Mapuche, an indigenous native of Patagonia, were particularly interested in the transformation of the sky.

“The sun is the symbol of ‘Man energy’, the moon part is ‘Women’s energy’ … and the tension between these two forces during this passing. It was a very sensitive time for us, ”said Marcelo Hugwenman, an intercultural educator, Mapuche.

Marcelo added: Traditionally, the Mapuches fear eclipses, and in their language call this phenomenon lhan Antü, which means “death of the sun”.

Tanya said that “there has been a record of eclipses around the world throughout the history of nearly 5,000 years.”

The astronomer added: “It’s easy to understand that Why was a total solar eclipse in most parts of history been viewed as a bad omen? Because the sun seemed to be eaten. And the day turns into night for a short time. “

Tanya said, “There can be up to five eclipses in a single year, but a total eclipse occurs once every 18 months when the moon is in a position that completely blocks the sun’s rays.”

The next total solar eclipse will take place in Antarctica (Dec 2021), Indonesia and Australia (Apr 2023), the US and Canada (Apr 2024), Southern Europe and Greenland (Sat. 2026) and most areas of Africa and the Middle East region (Aug 2027), so you might as well plan ahead.

21 Dec: Jupiter and Saturn meet. Visible from all over the world

“Jupiter and Saturn are probably the most visible planets. Because it’s so bright, ”said Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Greenwich Observatory.

Collective orbits occur when two planets overlap. Making it seem like the same star is shining

This is what we will see on the night of Dec. 21. Ed said, “Two wandering planets are Jupiter and Saturn. This will get very close in the sky. Until it seems Almost touching each other “

If looking with the naked eye These two planets are less than 0.1º apart. It’s all about perspective The Earth and Jupiter are now more than 800 million kilometers apart (their distance depends on their position in Earth and Jupiter’s orbit), and Jupiter is approximately the same distance from Saturn.

But in these few months The two large gas constellations appear to be very close to each other in the sky we see at night, and they will eventually “meet”.

“To meet like that It is something to watch. Especially in the days before and after the closest approach. To see that How has it changed? ”Ed said.

And if you have binoculars or a small telescope You may also see Jupiter’s four large moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

These moons are known as The Moon of Galileo (Galilean Moons) by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. It was the first to observe these moons in 1610 with a new telescope that he had invented a few months earlier.

The meeting between Saturn and Jupiter happens every 19.6 years, ”but this time is more special than most. Because meeting in 2020 will be the closest orbit since the beginning of the 17th century.

The last time Jupiter and Saturn appeared to be this close. Formed 397 years ago, 1623

There is no doubt that Astronomers and stargazers are excited about the phenomenon. “It is more than a once in a lifetime opportunity!” Ed said.

“Observing the motion of the planets allows humans to understand our solar system long before we can actually travel to space,” he added.

“Watching these celestial mechanics Helped spark the physics process behind The phase of building a framework that doesn’t just make us better understand this universe. But it also contributes to countless innovations and scientific advances on the planet, ”Ed said.

If the sky is open It will be easier to watch this phenomenon But you’ll have to hurry. Because you only have 1 hour before these two planets go down.

It should be planned in advance. And take the time to observe the positions of the two planets a few nights before they know where to look for them. It is located low down the southwest horizon. Half an hour after the sun has set

Another special issue on December 21 is that it is the winter solstice. (The shortest day of the day), in astronomy, is the first day of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. And it’s the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

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