Tonight … an astronomical phenomenon occurring for the first time since 1623 … Here is what is the “great coupling”

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The world is witnessing, on Monday evening, an astronomical phenomenon, the first in 400 years, represented by an apparent convergence between Jupiter and Saturn that can be seen with the naked eye.

Muhammad Odeh, Director of the International Astronomy Center, said in a statement that reached CNN in Arabic a copy of it: “Jupiter needs 12 years to orbit one revolution around the sun, while Saturn needs 30 years, this means that for us both planets are close to each other. Some people once every 20 years, and usually the distance between them is between one degree to two degrees, as for what distinguishes the conjunction this year is that the distance between them will be only 6 arc minutes, which is equal to one-tenth of a degree! It is slightly less than a quarter of the moon’s apparent diameter! Considered too small!

He added, “The last time the conjunction occurred at such a distance was about 400 years ago, on July 16, 1623, but the paradox is that this conjunction was only seen from areas close to the equator, because Jupiter and Saturn were close to the sun, and therefore it can be said.” That the last similar conjunction could be seen from most regions of the globe was 800 years ago, on March 05, 1226 AD, and the distance between them was only two arc minutes! The next similar conjunction will be in 2080 AD, and the next will be in 2417 AD, God willing.

Odeh added, “Contrary to what some sites mention, and although the distance between the two planets will be very close, they will not unite and appear as a single particle, because the distance between them is less than that this phenomenon occurs. It is noteworthy that the real distance between the two planets is millions of kilometers. This phenomenon is only an apparent convergence as seen from the ground. “

He pointed out that to watch this event: “Look to the west as soon as darkness falls, and you will notice a very bright white body above the western horizon. This is Jupiter, and above it is another bright golden-colored body. This is Saturn, and if you look at the sky before December 21, you will notice no.” The two bodies also, except that they will be farther from each other, and the distance between them will decrease with the passage of days until they reach the lowest possible on Monday night, December 21, and they can be seen in the following days as well, but the distance between them will increase, and Jupiter will surmount Saturn.

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