Moon will be in conjunction with one of the brightest stars this week. Stargazers will be in for a treat because the alignment of the star and Moon will be visible.
Moon and Antares Conjunction Visible This Week
The moon is full and approaching in conjunction with Antares, the brightest star in the scorpion-shaped constellation Scorpius. This is an extremely close conjunction, as viewed from London.
The chart displays the view toward the southeast on Thursday (May 23, 2024) at 22:00 BST. About 99.5% of the Moon's surface will be visible and rise almost exactly on Antares's heels.
Find the lowest point on the south-eastern horizon possible and observe the Moon rising to fully appreciate the spectacle. As the night goes on, the Moon will progressively move away from the star, and the doublet will ascend higher into the sky.
Antares is a red giant star with a radius greater than 650 times that of the Sun. Its color indicates a relatively low surface temperature, at roughly 3,600K (3,327C).
People will be viewing the star as it appeared more than 500 years ago since it is approximately 550 light-years from Earth, meaning it has taken 550 years for its light to reach us. In contrast, we see the Moon as it appeared 1.3 seconds ago because it is only 1.3 light seconds distant. The conjunction will be visible from every location on Earth.
What Is a Conjunction?
A conjunction happens when two celestial objects are seen in the sky near one another. The bodies in question may be a planet, star, Moon, or Sun.
Even though the objects seem close together, perspective creates this illusion. When two bodies come together for a conjunction, Earth forms a nearly straight line with them, giving the impression that they are meeting in the sky. But in actuality, enormous distances are separating the two bodies.
The Earth, Moon, and planets orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane, giving the solar system the appearance of a thin disk. Astronomers call this plane the ecliptic.
Due to this alignment, the Sun, Moon, and the five planets visible to the unaided eye—Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—travel across the Earth's sky along a general course. This explains why the Sun, Moon, and planets occasionally align in the sky. These gatherings are complementary.
Moon-related conjunctions occur regularly. Every month, the Moon travels around Earth, passing in front of all the planets and the Sun.
The planets, the Moon, and the Sun are all constantly in motion. Therefore, a combination only exists in theory for a single instant. A conjunction can be defined in various ways, but one common definition is the point at which two objects, as viewed from Earth, have the least amount of separation.
But for those who observe the sky, the event unfolds over several nights as the two objects move slowly past one another.
A few conjunctions stand out in excellent ways. For example, the global spectators were mesmerized by the magnificent conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in December 2020.
The Sun, on the other hand, is so brighter than everything else in the sky that conjunctions involving it are complex to witness. Transits and eclipses are the exceptions to this rule.
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