Jupiter and Mars are set to be in a planetary conjunction, appearing close to each other in the sky on Wednesday morning. This event will see the bright gas giant Jupiter visited by the red planet Mars, with the two appearing just a third of a degree apart, less than the width of the full Moon. The best time to see this conjunction is a couple of hours before sunrise on Wednesday when both planets will come up over the horizon with the constellation Taurus. No telescope is required to view the event, as both planets should be easily visible to the naked eye from anywhere in the world, with the best views in the eastern sky.
While they may appear very close together from Earth’s perspective, in reality, they will be separated by about 300 million miles. After the conjunction, Mars will continue to climb higher in the predawn sky, while Jupiter will ascend faster and move towards the evening sky. This event is rare, with Jupiter and Mars only being in conjunction 11 times since 2000. The next conjunction will not occur until November 15, 2026, with an even closer encounter in 2033, as per NASA. Astronomers recommend taking advantage of this unique opportunity to witness the planets close together in the sky.
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