The astronomy enthusiasts may have a good chance this weekend to see a Mars and Jupiter side by side in the night sky as they cross each other’s path. In the early Sunday hours, Mars and Jupiter may appear side by side in the sky like a bright star. With the weather forecast predicting that night to be clear, there is a good chance to view this cosmic event with naked eyes.
While the two planets will be visible before the sunrise at about 3:40am, the two will be extremely low in the southern horizon. As per Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Tom Kerss, the event can be witnessed by the people in the US between 6:30am and 7am, when the two planets will be around 20 degrees above the southern horizon, with the big planet Jupiter shining 20 times brighter.
He further said that initially, the two planets will appear to be in a straight vertical line with Jupiter above Mars. But as the planets continue to move in the orbit, they will appear in a diagonal line. At this time, Jupiter will be on the top left and Mars will be on the bottom right.
Even though the two planets are 369 miles apart from each other, the two will appear to be very close together during the celestial event, forming a straight line with the Earth. Such an event is known as a syzygy in astronomy.
Kerss said that you will be able to see Mars and Jupiter by using the tip of the little finger on an outstretched arm. To see the planets, make sure that the southern view is not obstructed with any building or trees, he added. The two planets will appear like bright stars in the sky with the Mars showing a pronounced orange colour and Jupiter reflecting its pale yellow-while colour.