Have you come across the rare phenomenon of our solar system? The view that came into light on last Wednesday (February 22) is all about Venus, Jupiter, and the moon, which appeared in a straight line in the night sky. It was such a moment of captivating, incredible and we can even add like the event that happens once in a blue moon or May be the rare celestial event in the field of Astronomy. What do you think?
Anyways, people across the world had become super excited seeing to it and captured the beautiful images and shared in the social media.
The Event
The moon looked like a crescent with a silver lining, which was waxed after almost an hour of the sunset. Simultaneously, at the same time, our planets Jupiter and Venus are seen at roughly equal distances from each other. In normal cases, we talk about the full moon, the half moon, and even the smaller ones. However, this is the strangest of all. Agreed? I believe you are with me.
Additionally, Jupiter, the biggest planet in our Solar system was anticipated to be at the top and approximately 8 degrees above; also to the left of Venus and the moon being around 7 degrees which was below the Venus. Most interestingly, these mesmerizing moments had clicked three celestial bodies by the sky gazers one time and cascaded in the social media. Moreover, in the interim, Jupiter and Venus have been touching closer in the past weeks as they prepare for their close proximity on March 1.
Nasa's Statement
Ideally, when we witness this kind of event, we may have a "wow" factor in our mind and take a few snaps, but we may not take extra steps to investigate it further. On the other hand, people who belong to the field of astronomy would have looked into it and understood its significance.
Do you want to know what has been pointed out by NASA? As per them; the conjunctions don’t have any deep astronomical relevance; the only thing explore is the exciting look of it and nothing else. That too in the Solar system conjunctions happens commonly between planets as the orbits belong to the planets around the sun in almost the same plane.
Knowing about the extra things is always an added advantage for us. It is good to learn what is happening in space and to share our knowledge with the outside world.
Is This Recurring?
Absolutely yes! To a greater extent, it is a matter of joy and excitement. The hobby space watchers can see the beautiful event in South west part of the sky only an hour after the sunset. The great sight can be witnessed in normal conditions with low pollution levels, which means that you can watch it without any equipment. Nevertheless, for a better experience, it is essential to have a pair of binoculars, which could provide a fabulous viewing experience.
As noted earlier, it might appear again in the sky; keep your equipment handy wherever you go, and when it is required, just take it out and enjoy the moment. Hopefully, you will not be disappointed.
To sum up, the world has already witnessed the event. There would be a great possibility that the planets Jupiter and Venus continues to see together until March 1. Thus, we can anticipate that fortune will be on our side to observe it again.
