The Saudi Press Agency’s lens captured at dawn today the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars (the brightest and most famous planets in the solar system) in the sky over the Northern Borders region. The conjunction was visible to the naked eye on the eastern horizon, with Mars and Jupiter approaching their closest point to each other.
A member of the Horizons Astronomy Association, Burjis Al-Faleeh, told “WAS,” that the conjunction was observed with the naked eye. He noted the bright white light of Jupiter and the faint, more reddish shine of Mars at their closest point. Through a telescope, Jupiter’s four large moons were visible. Jupiter is 1,300 times larger than Earth, while Mars is four times smaller than Earth. Such an event is referred to as a “Great Conjunction.”
He added that this unique conjunction made the two planets seem to touch in the sky, despite being over 500 million kilometers apart. The conjunction of Jupiter and Mars also coincides with the Perseid meteor shower, one of the brightest of the year. He noted that such events highlight the beauty of astronomy and inspire reflection on the universe and its sciences.
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