- wording
- BBC News World
8 hours
image source, Getty Images
Venus and Jupiter have been getting closer all week.
If you look at the sky this weekend at the right time, it will give you a wonderful spectacle: you will be able to see two of the brightest planets in the solar system almost touching each other.
Venus and Jup they are actually millions of miles apart, but from Earth it will look like they are regarding to collide.
This phenomenon known as planetary conjunction It happens every year, but in this one, in particular, both planets will be seen closer than usual.
This will not happen once more for another 17 years, in 2039.
The show can be seen with the naked eye or with the help of binoculars, as long as the sky is clear.
After Saturday, the two planets will continue their course and will gradually separate.
“For astronomers it’s very exciting and for people it’s a great opportunity to see it,” explains space scientist Lucie Green of the Popular Astronomy Society in the UK.
different intensities
How to know which is Venus and which is Jupiter?
image source, Getty Images
You can tell which one is Venus because it is the brightest planet.
“The planets will differ in their brightness. venus is brighter than Jupiter, so it will look dazzlingly bright when you see it. Jupiter will be a bit dimmer, regarding one-sixth as bright as Venus,” explains Green.
The conjunction can be seen from both hemispheres of our planet, at different times of day and night.
Green recommends using an app so you can easily locate them in the sky.
Remember that you can receive notifications from BBC World. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss out on our best content.
