Open in App
  • U.S.
  • Election
  • Newsletter
  • Apple Valley News Now

    Mars and Jupiter won't look this close again until 2033. Here's when to view them

    By MARCIA DUNN Associated Press,

    1 day ago

    CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade.

    They'll be so close Wednesday, at least from our perspective, that just a sliver of moon could fit between them. In reality, our solar system's biggest planet and its dimmer, reddish neighbor will be more than 350 million miles apart in their respective orbits.

    Perseids have arrived. Here's how to see the 'fireballs' of summer's brightest meteor shower

    The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak early Monday, and astronomers say it's one of the brightest and most easily visible showers of the year.

    The two planets will reach their minimum separation — one-third of 1 degree or about one-third the width of the moon — during daylight hours Wednesday in most of the Americas, Europe and Africa.

    But they won't appear that much different hours or even a day earlier when the sky is dark, said Jon Giorgini of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

    Mars Jupiter Encounter

    Jupiter pictured on April 3, 2017, left, and Mars pictured on Aug. 26, 2003.

    The best views will be in the eastern sky, toward constellation Taurus, before daybreak. Known as planetary conjunctions , these cosmic pairings happen only every three years or so.

    "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," he said in an email. "The science is in the ability to accurately predict the events years in advance."

    Their orbits haven't brought them this close together, one behind the other, since 2018. And it won't happen again until 2033, when they'll get even chummier.

    The closest in the past 1,000 years was in 1761, when Mars and Jupiter appeared to the naked eye as a single bright object, according to Giorgini. Looking ahead, the year 2348 will be almost as close.

    This latest link up of Mars and Jupiter coincides with the Perseid meteor shower, one of the year's brightest showers. No binoculars or telescopes are needed.

    Meteorological events to look for in 2024—and where best to see them

    Stacker sourced information from NASA, weather channels, and astronomy sites to list 2024's most notable astronomical events chronologically.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2iOS7N_0uvDPNY100

    Jupiter pictured on April 3, 2017, left, and Mars pictured on Aug. 26, 2003.

    Expand All
    Comments / 0
    Add a Comment
    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
    Most Popular newsMost Popular

    Comments / 0