The next two conjunctions will be scheduled in 2040 and 2060, but it won’t be as easy to see as they are now.
It is hoped that the Great Conjunction that has created tremendous excitement for sky watchers will last until Christmas. The pairing between Jupiter and Saturn was seen on December 21 and is expected to continue this week. The close passage between the two planets is nothing short of a spectacle and is a delight for those who like to see the constellations and the sky. It should be noted that the conjunction is a pairing between two planets and, since Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets visible to the naked eye in the solar system, their conjunction has been termed the “Great Conjunction”. Interestingly, these two planets line up after about 20 years, which makes the phenomenon relatively rare.
Certainly, Jupiter takes 12 years to complete its orbit around the Sun and 30 years on Saturn.
What makes this conjunction special is the alignment of the planets. When one looks at the position of the planets in the orbital plane of the Earth, it appears that the two are aligned in a conjunction. This means that both are throwing the same angle from the referred direction. Jupiter and Saturn, when viewed from Earth, can be seen separated to one-tenth of a degree. Some views can see how they converge into one. However, most viewers in all countries said they could distinguish them.
The rarity of this conjunction that can be seen from Earth can be seen in terms of the last Great Conjunction that took place in 1623. This, according to a report by The IE, was when Chhatrapati Shivaji was about to was born and Jahangir ruled the Mughal empire in India. Prior to this, the conjunction was seen in 1226 a year after the death of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan.
Meanwhile, the show is expected to continue this week until December 25th. On December 21, Jupiter was seen surpassing Saturn when seen from Earth. Although the planets appear close, the two are separated by more than 700 million kilometers. In addition, their distance between them is less than it usually is during other conjunctions.
The next two conjunctions will be scheduled in 2040 and 2060, but it won’t be as easy to see as they are now. The next (so big) conjuncture is likely to take place on March 15, 2080.
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