Soon you will be able to see with the naked eye an extraordinary phenomenon in the sky: the conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter. What is it about? Do celestial bodies really come together at such a short distance? And when will it be possible to witness this fascinating show in heaven? Let’s explain.
Contents:
What is the Moon-Jupiter conjunction?
In astronomy, a conjunction is the apparent “merging” of celestial bodies. In reality, they are very distant from each other, but when viewed from the perspective of an observer on Earth, they appear to get so close that they eventually almost merge at one point.
A conjunction occurs when both celestial bodies and their observer are on the same line, called right ascension (it is one of the astronomical coordinates). Numerous conjunctions of objects occur in space every day, but not all of them are visible from Earth. However, both the Moon and Jupiter are bright objects, and the planet is currently visible in the sky with the naked eye, so the phenomenon of the conjunction of bodies will be possible to observe without the use of any equipment.
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When will the Moon-Jupiter conjunction occur in 2024?
Conjunction of the Moon with Jupiter will take place on January 18th. The disk of the Earth satellite that reaches fullness will therefore be illuminated by more than half. The observer should look for both objects above the southeastern horizon.
The moon will become visible before sunset and Jupiter around 4.30pm. From then on you will be able to observe the objects approaching each other until 9.40pm. Then the maximum of the phenomenon will occur and, from our perspective, the observed bodies will be separated by only 2.1 degrees. They will then move away from each other until disappearing behind the horizon around 1 am.
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Celestial phenomena in January 2024
January 2024 is full of interesting astronomical phenomena. On the third day of the month the Earth reaches perihelion, the point of its orbit closest to the Sun. On the same night the largest meteor shower of the Quadrantids fell. This month, except conjunction of the Moon and Jupiterthere are also a number of other Silver Globe encounters with planets (though not all are visible to the naked eye):
- January 10th with Mars,
- January 14th with Saturn,
- January 15th with Neptune,
- January 19th with Uranus,
- January 27 with Mercury.
On the 25th of the month there will be a full Moon, while on the 29th the closest approach of comet 62P/Tsuchinshan to the Earth will be observed with binoculars.
Source: pap.pl, urania.edu.pl, astronomia24.com, bryk.pl
Prepared by: Joanna Cwynar
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2024-01-17 11:00:51
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