Two of Earth’s neighbors will appear awfully close in the sky on August 14, as the orbits of Mars and Jupiter make them seem to almost touch.
A conjunction is an astronomical term for when two or more bodies in space closely approach each other, relative to the view from Earth. While the objects appear close to each other, in actuality they can still be millions—or trillions—of miles from each other. In the case of the Mars and Jupiter conjunction, the two planets will, at their nearest, be more than 300 million miles (500 million kilometers) apart.
After the conjunction, Mars will begin inching higher in the sky from our perspective on Earth, while Jupiter will also move up, but at a faster rate, eventually pulling away towards the evening sky, according to EarthSky.
The pair will commence with their celestial rendezvous at roughly 10:30 p.m. on August 13, although the best viewing from the eastern coast will be in the hours before sunrise during the following day. The two planets, as always, will be visible to the unaided eye. Jupiter will be the brighter of the pair, and can be contrasted to Mars’ signature red hue. With a decent pair of binoculars, Jupiter’s moons may be visible, and for telescope owners, the two planets will be visible in the same view.
To get a glimpse of the conjunction, look towards the eastern sky. The planetary alignment will appear in front of the Taurus constellation close to Aldebaran. Skywatching apps, such as Sky Guide and StarMap 3D+, can also help you locate the pair in the night sky.
Conjunctions involving Mars and Jupiter aren’t that rare, taking place around once every 26 to 27 months. The pair last passed each other in 2022. This year’s conjunction, however, is notable for just how close the planets will appear to each other. Mars and Jupiter won’t appear in such close proximity again until December 1, 2033, according to Space.com.
“Planetary conjunctions traditionally have been more the stuff of astrology than serious astronomy, but they never fail to impress during observations, particularly when the gas giants are involved,” said Mitzi Adams, an astronomer and researcher at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in a post on the space agency’s website about the 2022 conjunction.
If you’re not able to see the conjunction for yourself, fear not. The Virtual Telescope Project is livestreaming the event.
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