Mars and Jupiter will ‘meet’ in the sky in a rare event that won’t happen again until 2033 – trick to see it this week

MARS and Jupiter will nearly touch in the night sky in a rare event that won’t happen again for nearly a decade.

The planetary gathering will take place later this week and last took place in 2018.

Of course, the planets themselves aren’t actually moving next for each other.

They will still be hundreds of millions of kilometers away.

But from the perspective of an observer on Earth, it will appear as if there is only a small gap between the pair.

This encounter – known as “minimum separation” – will see the planets separated by less than a degree.

The bad news is that the true “minimum separation” happens during the day on Wednesday, but it will also look the same during the night.

You’ll want to look east sky just before dawn for the best view of the planets.

Jupiter will be significantly brighter than Mars and will almost appear to form a twin planet.

The next Mars-Jupiter conjunction won’t happen until December 1, 2033.

It will be an even closer encounter, but the wait will be long – so better check out Wednesday’s spectacle to satisfy your stargazing appetite.

If the weather is nice, it will be very easy to see, as planets are typically among the brightest objects in the night sky.

TIPS FOR STAR WATCHING

The night sky is amazing and completely free. So make sure you make the most of your time looking at it.

The first and most obvious is to run away from the light pollution.

It’s an absolute killer for stargazing, and even moving a little away from a city can massively improve your view of the sky.

Secondly, you need to give your eyes time to adapt.

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Looking up at the night sky for about half an hour will greatly improve your ability to see what’s happening above.

It might be worth it investing in a red light flashlight as this allows you to see what is going on around you without obstructing your vision.

And a common mistake is checking your phone. If you look at a bright white application, it will totally kill your eye’s adjustment to the dark.

However, there is an exception to this rule.

There’s a great app called Night Sky that lets you point your phone at the sky to see exactly where certain space objects are.

And luckily, it’s extremely dark as an app, so it shouldn’t hinder your night vision.

Download the app and you can find specific objects like stars and planets.

Additionally, you must plan ahead when it comes to moving objects.

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For example, it is possible to see the ISS from Earth. But you’ll want to check the ISS’s movements in advance so you know what time to watch out.

You can also see Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites, but they move very quickly across the sky.

This means they are easily missed, but you should also be able to use this speed to help you easily spot them against the still backdrop of space.

Likewise, you’ll want to choose a good night to view based on the phases of the Moon.

Seeing the full Moon is incredible, but it can also mess with your eye’s adjustment and limit what you can see nearby.

You can also plan for common space events like meteor showers, or when bright planets like Venus or Mars are visible.

A telescope is obviously a great addition to your stargazing arsenal.

But don’t forget that binoculars are also brilliant for observing many space objects – and they are often much cheaper too.

Plus, you’re more likely to have a pair at home.

You’ll be able to get a stunning view of the Moon’s surface even with a pair of cheap binoculars.

For taking photos of the night sky, I can’t recommend enough the importance of a tripod.

You can get tripods for your phone for very cheap and this will allow you to take much better long exposure photos of the night sky.

But be sure to clean the lens first, as you don’t want smudges to ruin your great photos.

And finally, remember to dress warmly. It can get very cold at night, even in warm places.

So you don’t want to have to come home early because you didn’t dress appropriately for the cold outdoors.