The next two conjunctions will take place in 2040 and 2060, but looking at them won’t be as easy as it is now.
The Great Conjunction, which has created tremendous excitement for skywatchers, is expected to last until Christmas. The link between Jupiter and Saturn was seen on December 21 and is expected to continue this week. The narrow pass between the two planets is nothing short of a spectacle and a delight for those who like to gaze at constellations and sky. It is to note that conjunction is a link between two planets and since Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets visible to the naked eye in the solar system, their conjunction is referred to as ‘Great Conjunction’. Interestingly, these two planets align after about 20 years, making the phenomenon relatively rare.
Certainly, it takes 12 years for Jupiter to complete its orbit around the sun and 30 years for Saturn.
What makes this conjunction special is the alignment of the planets. If we look at the position of planets on the orbital plane of the Earth, the two appear to be aligned in a conjunction. This means that they both throw the same angle from the mentioned direction. Jupiter and Saturn can be seen from Earth one-tenth of a degree apart. They may see some views converge into one. However, a majority of viewers from different countries said they could tell them apart.
The rarity of this conjunction that can be viewed from Earth can be seen in terms of the last Great Conjunction that took place in 1623. This was, according to a report from The IE, when Chhatrapati Shivaji was about to be born and Jahangir ruled the Mughal Empire in India. Prior to this, the conjunction was seen in 1226 a year after the death of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan.
Meanwhile, the spectacle is expected to continue this week until December 25. On December 21, Jupiter was seen overtaking Saturn from Earth. Although the planets seem close, they are both more than 700 million kilometers apart. Also, their distance between each other is less than normal during other conjunctions.
The next two conjunctions will take place in 2040 and 2060, but looking at them won’t be as easy as it is now. The next business cycle (this big) is likely to occur on March 15, 2080.
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