Jupiter and Venus, the two brightest planets in the solar system, will be seen touching each other in a rare celestial spectacle this weekend.
Despite the fact that they would be millions of miles away, stargazers on Earth would appear close enough to nearly collide in planetary conjunction once a year.
However, this year Jupiter and Venus It will look closer than usual and should be visible only with binoculars or even with the naked eye. If you miss it, you’ll have to wait another 17 years for a repeat of the show.
In addition to the extraordinary planetary conjunctions on display, Saturn Mars will also appear 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 Australian National University.
“Although Venus and Jupiter are getting closer to each other every few years, this time there is also Mars And Saturn is in a very rare combination.”
“If you have a good telescope, binoculars or camera, you’ll get a better view.”
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Even though they look close, the planets are actually 430 meters from orbit.
The prime time to see the event in the UK is around 5am on Saturdays from a high point with a clear eastern horizon. However, it will still be visible on Sundays and the following days when the planets diverge again.
From London it is almost impossible to see, but in the far west of the country the planets will be seen more closely.
Observers in Sydney, Australia, will have a clear view of the pair of planets set to rise in the east at around 3.30am on May 1.
“The planets will differ in their brightness,” astronomer and chief stargazer at the People’s Assembly astronomy Professor Lucy Green told BBC News.
“Venus is much brighter than Jupiter, so it will look very bright when you look at it. Jupiter will be much dimmer, about one-sixth as bright as Venus.”
Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars congregate in the eastern sky in a formation that will likely not be seen again until 2040, during the early hours of sunrise on May 13, 2011.
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