April is unbelievably hot and the sweltering heatwave is making life miserable for people but for sky-gazers, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Latest planetary analysis shows that Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are going to form one straight line this month. And the best part, you can see this with naked eyes from Earth. A Nasa report says that Jupiter and Venus will be so close that they may appear to collide with each other! These two celestial bodies are the brightest objects in the sky and can be seen easily with naked eyes.
A simple telescope can also help the astro-enthusiast to see the difference between two planets. But for those who will see without any such special equipment, the intermingling of Jupiter and Venus may appear as a very bright blob in the night sky. So, when can you watch this conjunction? Nasa says that if skies are clear than people can see this celestial phenomenon of Jupiter and Venus conjunction till May 1st.
As far as the grand planetary parade is concerned, all four planets – Jupiter, Venus Mars and Saturn – can be seen in the eastern sky an hour before the sunrise, Subhendu Pattnaik, Deputy Director, Pathani Samanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Usually, as many as three planets often align on one side of the Sun. This kind of so-called celestial parade can be seen several times during a year. However, four planets of the solar system coming together in a straight line is a rare occurrence.
There are times that the eight planets of the solar system align in one line. This celestial treat occurs only once in 170 years. So if the planets align very often, what’s so special about this April planetary parade. The key aspect is that all four planets are clearly visible from all parts of the world and can be observed with clarity. Last time Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and Venus aligned like this was in 947 AD, Pattnaik was quoted as saying.