Good news for astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers of all ages: look towards the eastern horizon and you’ll see a planetary conjunction that will last until the end of this week. Jupiter, which is half as bright as Venus, appears close by as does Mars, identifiable with its slightly dimmer color and reddish tint. And early morning viewers can see the three planets communing for about a week, although each day their position in relation to one another will shift as they orbit the sun at different speeds.
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Jupiter is above Venus to the south and Mars is below Venus to the north (see photo). If you have a typical pair of binoculars, all three planets will fit inside your field of view.
This event will not happen again until January 10, 2021, according to iflscience.com.
But experts say that the best time to start scanning the skies for this rare conjunction is actually before the sun starts to rise, as it’s dark enough for them to be spotted easier but they are still high on the horizon at the time.
In addition to the planetary trio, October 26 also marks Jupiter’s greatest western elongation – in other words, Jupiter is at its farthest from the sunrise on this date. With luck, it might even be possible to view Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – the four largest moons of Jupiter.
Of the three planets, Venus is the closest to Earth and, therefore, the brightest. The two worlds will be at their closest on November 2 and 3, separated by less than 1 degree, which means they can both simultaneously be covered by only a thumb held at arm’s length.
Earthlings can take in a brilliant view of three planets seemingly gathered in one section of the sky. One AU, or astronomical unit, is the distance from the Earth to the Sunday.
The triangle will drift apart by November.
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A stunning celestial treat awaits skywatchers who are up at the crack of dawn over the next week as three of the brightest planets dance in the morning sky.
