Mars And Jupiter Are Set To Dazzle Stargazers In Rare Event Tonight
All of the major planets in the solar system orbit the sun in roughly the same plane, following an imaginary line in the night sky called an ecliptic. But because all of the planets move at different speeds around the sun, sometimes they appear to overlap one another, with two appearing close together for a short period of time. Such will be the case with Jupiter and Mars tonight. While the Red Planet and giant gas planet will appear just one-third the width of the Moon apart as observed from Earth tonight, they are actually separated by about 350 million miles.
According to scientist Jon Giorgini from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, planetary conjunction events occur approximately every three years. “Such events are mostly items of curiosity and beauty for those watching the sky, wondering what the two bright objects so close together might be,” Giorgini said. “The science is in the ability to accurately predict the events years in advance.”
Sky watchers will not need any special equipment to view the celestial conjunction, but a dark place away from city light pollution is highly suggested. Once in place, onlookers will want to look toward the eastern horizon. Jupiter will appear as the brightest “star” in the sky, 30 degrees above the horizon. Mars will be very close to it, appearing as a red spark next to Jupiter’s brighter white appearance. The best time to view the conjunction will be between 2am and just before sunrise local time.
There may very well be an added bonus to those who venture out to view the conjunction tonight, due to the Perseid meteor shower still being active. Anyone who may have caught the meteor shower on the night of the 11th and 12th may have seen up to 50 to 75 shooting stars per hour. While there most likely won’t be that many tonight, there should still be plenty of opportunities to catch a falling star.
Another celestial delight making an appearance all month long is the Lagoon Nebula. At about three times wider than the full moon, it’s still relatively easy to find, even under suburban skies, with the aid of binoculars or a small telescope. The nebula is located in the constellation Sagittarius, just above the top of the star pattern know as the Teapot.
With a planetary conjunction of Mars and Jupiter, a chance to catch some falling stars, and the opportunity to view the Lagoon Nebula, there is more than enough reason to wake up a bit early and head out for a celestial getaway underneath the stars tonight.
