Dance of the Planets

New Delhi (Agencies): Sky-gazers and astronomy buffs are waiting for a rare celestial event that will occur on May 30 and 31 when three planets - Venus, Jupiter and Mercury - will come very close to each other in a conjunction. Called 'Dance of the Planets' the beautiful cosmic choreography can be seen soon after sunset. Their vertical alignment on May 30 and 31 in the evening sky near the horizon in the west-north part of the sky will be a visual pleasure, according to scientists.

Actually, the phenomenon will take place from May 24 to 30 and can be seen with naked eye each night. However, binoculars will be the best tool to observe Jupiter as it makes a remarkable appearance this month. After this event, the planets will slowly move behind the sun and will disappear by nightfall. The planets Jupiter and Venus and the moon started to group on May 13 in the western part of the night sky. As the date May 23 draws near, the bright planets Jupiter and Venus will be close enough to fall under a binocular field of view. By May 28, they will come very close to each other. Subsequently, Venus will move in a north-westerly (to the upper right) direction with respect to Jupiter and will be six times as bright as Jupiter. While the best time to view the conjunction would be 30 to 60 minutes after the sunset, from May 23 to 29, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury will unite to a space of less than 5 degrees. This year, we will get to see the most compact three-planet grouping visible without binoculars for the next 13 years, say astronomers. The planets will not appear this close together again until the year 2026.