Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system, align today in an event called the Great Conjunction.
While the planets orbit each other in orbits around the Sun every 20 years on Earth, they will not be as close to the sky since 1623.
They have been seen close together in the night sky for most of this year, but Monday night is the closest place to them as can be seen from Earth – less than a cross. -the dimensions of the full moon apart.
“You can imagine the solar system as a racetrack, with each of the planets as a runner in their own series and the Earth towards the center of the stadium,” said Henry Throop, astronomer there the Department of Planning Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“From our vantage point, we will be able to see Jupiter on the inner row, approaching Saturn all month and finally passing on December 21st.”
Stargazers will be able to see the gas giants through a pair of binoculars, according to Professor Matthew Bate, Head of Astrophysics at the University of Exeter in the UK.
“If you have binoculars with the elevation greater than about eight hours, you should be able to see some of the Galilean moors,” he said.
The best time to see the event in the UK will be between 30 minutes and two hours after sunset, according to the University of Exeter website.