CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Mars and Jupiter are coming together in the night sky for their closest encounter of the decade.
On Wednesday, they will be so close that just a sliver of the moon could fit between them when viewed from Earth. Despite this apparent proximity, the two planets will actually be more than 350 million miles apart in their orbits.
The minimum separation between Mars and Jupiter, about one-third of 1 degree or one-third the width of the moon, will occur during daylight hours on Wednesday in most of the Americas, Europe, and Africa. However, their relative positions will not look significantly different a few hours earlier or even a day before when the sky is dark, according to Jon Giorgini of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The best viewing opportunities will be in the eastern sky before dawn, towards the constellation Taurus. These planetary conjunctions, where two planets appear close together in the sky, occur roughly every three years.
Giorgini explained, “Such events are primarily of interest for those observing the sky, marveling at the sight of two bright objects in close proximity. The scientific value lies in the ability to accurately predict these events years in advance.”
This alignment of Mars and Jupiter is a rare occurrence, last happening in 2018, and will not repeat until 2033 when they will be even closer together. The closest encounter in the past 1,000 years was in 1761 when the two planets appeared as a single bright object to the naked eye. Looking ahead, a similar proximity will occur in the year 2348.
This cosmic event coincides with the Perseid meteor shower, one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year, which can be observed without the need for binoculars or telescopes.
By Marcia Dunn
