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Mumbai: Stargazers will again have a party time this Sunday January 22, 2023 when Venus and Saturn will come closer to each other forming a conjunction that one can see with naked eyes.
Also this weekend, Moon will be closest to the Earth, though the astral phenomenon could not be seen.
A conjunction occurs when two planets come very close to each other. The phenomenon is regular and gives a gala moment for those interested in astronomy.
The conjunction sometimes is so close that it appears the two nearby planets will collide with each other. This was how it was seen in May 2022 (see pictures) when Venus and Jupiter formed a conjunction and it appeared to the stargazers as if the two planets will collide with each other any moment.
Making the planet conjunction more eye-catching, sometimes Moon also joins nearby astral objects as was seen in June 2022 (see pictures) when the Earth’s closest neighbour in space joined 5 planets lined up in rare planetary conjunction.
Venus and Saturn will be in conjunction this Sunday and will be visible in India soon after the sun set.
"The pair will become visible around 18:07 (IST), 16 degrees above the south-western horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. They will then sink towards the horizon, setting 1 hour and 39 minutes after the Sun at 19:30", according to In-the-Sky.org.
In some telescopes and most binoculars, both planets would fit in the same field of view. The pair will also be visible to the naked eye or through pair of binoculars.
In New York, stargazers can catch the Saturn Venus conjunction around 5:18 p.m. just as darkness falls, shortly after the two make their close approach, or appulse, around 5:13 p.m. EST (2213 GMT).
The new moon this weekend will be closest to Earth something that was last seen in the year 992. However, even though the moon will similarly be at its closest point to our planet this Saturday, the event will overlap with a new moon rather than a full moon. Therefore, our natural satellite in space will be completely invisible to us during the cosmic event, CNET reported.
The new moon will not be this close again for the next 345 years.
The last week of January 2023 has more to offer for the stargazers. Starting in the last week of the month and till the first week of February 2023, you will get a chance to see C 2022 E3 ZTF, a green comet, billed as once-in-50,000-year astral event.
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