This story initially appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
August has delivered many spectacular sights within the night time sky: a supermoon, meteor showers, and supercharged auroras. Mars and Jupiter additionally at present seem unusually shut collectively within the night time sky, in what’s generally known as a conjunction. They appeared closest through the early morning of August 14 and at the moment are regularly shifting aside, and gained’t be this shut once more within the sky till 2033.
However whereas they’re nonetheless shut, on the finish of the month—on August 27—they’ll be joined by a 3rd protagonist, the moon, producing a uncommon triple conjunction of the three our bodies shut collectively. The moon can be in its crescent section, and based on the constellation-tracking app Star Stroll, can be 40 p.c illuminated. This lower in brightness will make it doable to see the pink dot of Mars and the bigger star Jupiter subsequent to it.
It isn’t essential to have telescopes or binoculars to benefit from the conjunction, though it’s important to be in a spot away from mild air pollution. Photographers with expertise viewing astronomical occasions advocate going to a excessive place to view the phenomenon, resembling a mountain or the roof of a home—however when you do, ensure you are properly sheltered and protected against the chilly.
NASA signifies that the triangle between the moon, Mars, and Jupiter can be seen to the west, one hour earlier than dawn. If a viewer makes use of superior observing devices, they may also be capable of see the red-giant stars Aldebaran above the triangle and Betelgeuse under within the northern hemisphere.
Distinguishing Between Planets and Stars
Though they might look comparable within the sky, planets and stars don’t behave the identical means. Stars keep a hard and fast place that modifications in accordance solely to the season of the 12 months. The planets, then again, transfer all through the night time alongside a line generally known as an ecliptic. As well as, the celebrities twinkle or seem to range in brightness, whereas the planets keep a relentless luminosity.
Solely 5 planets could be seen with the bare eye from Earth: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. Every physique seems recurrently within the sky, however as a result of they transfer at completely different speeds and their distance from Earth varies, they’ve distinctive behaviors at night time. For instance, Mercury and Venus could be seen solely at nightfall or daybreak, whereas Mars or Jupiter shine all through the night time.
