Mars is busy! Don't miss these three planetary conjunctions.
At 23:31 on February 22, the planet Mars will be ushered in. At that time, the public will see two bright planets in close proximity. According to science experts from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this is the first planetary conjunction in the solar system suitable for viewing in 2024.
What is a planetary conjunction? Wang Kechao, director of science popularization at the Purple Mountain Observatory, said that the astronomical definition of "combination" does not mean that two celestial bodies are really merged together, but that the geocentric apparent right ascension or geocentric apparent yellow longitude of two celestial bodies is the same. Planetary conjunction, planetary conjunction, and planetary conjunction Moon both refer to the fact that the geocentric apparent right ascension of two celestial bodies is the same.
Unlike planetary conjunctions, which occur multiple times a month, there will be 12 conjunctions of the planets in the solar system in 2024, which is related to the time it takes for the planets to 'walk' around the celestial sphere. Wang Kechao said that the most suitable planet conjunctions for viewing this year are Mars alloy star on February 22, Mars conjunction Saturn on April 11, and Mars conjunction Jupiter on August 15. These four planets are very bright, and the angular distance between the two celestial bodies of these three conjunctions is less than 1 degree, and the naked eye can see the picture of two stars in the same frame.
When is the right time to see these three conjunctions? "The astronomical conjunction is a precise moment, but for public observation, it can be observed in the days before and after the 'conjunction'. Wang Kechao said that when the three conjunctions are conjunct, the two planets are located to the west of the sun, and the viewing time is before sunrise.
In the case of Mars, the best time to see it is about one hour before sunrise, the best time to see Mars and Saturn is about an hour and a half before sunrise, and Mars and Jupiter are good to see after midnight and before sunrise.
How can you tell if the two planets are so close to each other when observing these three conjunctions with the naked eye? Wang Kechao suggested that first, in terms of brightness, when conjunct, Venus and Jupiter are obviously brighter than Mars, and Saturn is slightly brighter than Mars. The second is to distinguish from the azimuth, with the naked eye, when conjunct, Mars is located in the sky below Venus and above Saturn and Jupiter.
The two planets we see with the naked eye in the same frame are a visual phenomenon that occurs due to the fact that the two planets and the Earth are arranged in an approximate straight line during their orbit, and the two planets are actually very far apart, taking Mars and Saturn as examples, the distance between the two is about 1.2 billion kilometers.