CONJUNCTION OF THE PLANETS. This Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at dawn, the Moon has an appointment with the giant Jupiter. Here is all the information you need to not miss anything of this celestial encounter.
[Mis à jour le 11 juillet 2023 à 14h24] A new celestial ballet awaits us in the morning sky this Wednesday July 12. This time Moon encounter Jupiter between the constellation of Aries and that of the Whale. Visible in the northern hemisphere, this event is an opportunity to admire the two stars side by side before sunrise. However, the Moon and Jupiter are two objects in the solar system very far from each other. Their meeting is only an illusion resulting from their position in relation to the Earth.
To attend this celestial rendezvous, you will have to get up early tonight, in order to take advantage of the last hours of darkness. How to take advantage of the event and successfully observe it? Where will the meeting take place? We tell you all about this astronomical spectacle!
What date and time does the Moon-Jupiter conjunction take place?
The meeting between the Moon and the giant planet Jupiter occurs this Wednesday, July 12 in the early morning. The stars appear behind the horizon around 2 a.m. and remain visible in the sky until sunrise around 6:15 a.m. You therefore have a good part of the night to admire the spectacle.
What is the distance between the Moon and Jupiter?
If the Moon and Jupiter appear very close during the conjunction, they are nevertheless two objects extremely distant from the solar system. Indeed, more than 778 million kilometers separate them on average. Between the two stars is the planet Mars and the main asteroid belt.
This celestial ballet is visible to the naked eye without any equipment. You can see the Moon accompanied by a bright star-like point. But if you want to observe the two stars in more detail, know that they are close enough to be admired together with a pair of binoculars.
The show begins around 2 a.m. this Wednesday at the eastern horizon. The Moon appears there in the form of a crescent accompanied by the planet Jupiter. Little by little, the duo rises in the sky and ends up disappearing at the end of the night when the Sun makes its appearance.
What is a conjunction of planets?
The conjunction of two stars is a phenomenon in which two or more objects appear side by side when observed from another object. Generally, this third object is the Earth. It can be a rapprochement of two planets that we observe in the terrestrial sky, we then speak of planetary conjunction or even the rapprochement of a planet with our natural satellite, the Moon.
These events are an opportunity for photographers passionate about astronomy to take superb shots of these celestial ballets.
In 2023, a few planetary conjunctions still await us. Reconciliations between the Moon and the planets of the solar system are also on the agenda. Consult the dates of the next ones, so as not to miss these celestial encounters:
- THE July 19the Moon will pass close to the planet Mercury in the constellation of Cancer just after sunset.
- THE July 20the planets Venus and Mars will form an almost equilateral triangle with the Moon which will pass not far from them
- THE July 21the Moon will pass close to the planet Mars at the very beginning of the night in the constellation of Leo
- THE July 27, Mercury and Venus will pass close to each other in the constellation Leo. It will then be possible to see them with the naked eye or with a pair of binoculars.
- THE August 3the Moon will visit Saturn from 10 p.m. in the constellation Aquarius
- THE August 8in the constellation of Aries, you can admire the meeting between the Moon and Jupiter
- THE August 13you can witness a conjunction of the planets Mercury and Mars in the constellation of Leo
- THE August 18while it will be in the form of a very thin crescent, the Moon will successively approach Mercury in the constellation of Leo, then Mars in that of Virgo at the very beginning of the night.
- THE August 30in the constellation Aquarius, the Moon will appear alongside Saturn in the constellation Aquarius.